Pokemon: One Piece
by Valkyrie Elysia
Summary: Sort of crossover oneshots, AU. In a world where pirates reside and Pokémon too, which Pokémon would be chosen for our favorite characters?
1. Prologue: The Professor

**V.E.: Hey there, guys. So, this was a thing in my mind. It's funny I've never really played the Pokémon games, but after Sun and Moon came out, for some reason I just see something of a crossover with One Piece regarding some of the people getting Pokemon and their interactions with the Professor. I feel like I need a less story structured thing to work on since I've been kind of hitting road blocks with those fics of mine.**

 **Okay, a few heads up before I get the prologue out of the way. One, I am not a player of Pokémon and thus what I know might be superficial at best (mainly from the anime, Youtube, or Bulbapedia). Heck, if I see a request for a character I didn't plan I might do it. So, if you have a better pick than mine, feel free to tell me in the comments. I will give an explanation to the Author's Notes.**

 **Two, like I said this will be a less story structured fic. Most of the chapters will be about the characters receiving a Pokémon though I do hope to do a couple that are more serious and reflecting how the plot affects the Professor and the Island she studies at. As such, things might not go chronologically in when people get their Pokémon. It will also not be regularly updated. Reviews help the motivation, but this is a tricky experiment.**

 **Lastly, you might be wondering why this isn't a crossover. Well, my criteria for something being a crossover is "Do the worlds or the characters interact?" We're not leaving the One Piece universe and none of the characters from either the anime or games will end up here. Pokémon aren't really treated like characters and one of the highly-reviewed stories in this section involves a Pikachu. Admittedly, the Pokémon elements are very minimal in that story so this one will be more upfront about it. If enough people say it's better as a crossover, I'll put it there.**

 **Well, that's all I think that needs to be said.**

 **In honor of** _ **The Smallest Straw Hat**_ **by pikaace. (Seriously, go check it out!)**

 **Quote:** " **Genuine beginnings begin within us, even when they are brought to our attention by external opportunities."-William Throsby Bridges**

* * *

 _A storm was coming._

 _An interesting belief to have considering the sun was shining to the point of glaring, the air was muggier than some swamps Mana been to, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky._

 _But that was the only thought that ran through her mind as she watched the condemned man take the long climb to the executioner's platform._

 _The Pirate King Gold Roger. Or as she knew him, Gol D. Roger._

 _ **Oh Roger, what are you trying to do?**_

 _When she had first heard of the man's capture, she dropped everything and made her way to Loguetown as fast as she could (ties to the World Government were useful at times). It had been many years since she had met the man and his crew, before she had become the Head Professor of the Avalon Facility (even though she still traveled quite frequently). Even so, the call had been too strong for her to ignore and even the Pokémon seemed to know something was coming._

 _The grin didn't seem to have changed though she could see that the captain had aged quite a bit since they last meet. She still remembered the words he told her back then._ _ **"Inherited Will, The Destiny of the Age, The Dreams of its People. As long as people continue to pursue the meaning of Freedom, these things will never cease!"**_

 _She was suddenly startled out of her thoughts as a man not too far from her in the crowd called out to Roger sitting cross legs on the execution platform. "HEY! PIRATE KING! What did you do with your treasure? It's somewhere on the Grand Line, isn't it? You have it, don't you? The greatest treasure in the world?!"_

 _The guards next to Roger on the platform obviously weren't pleased with this interruption of events as one shouted in panic at the man. "Insolent! Hold your tongue!"_

 _It didn't work as the man called out, the echo stunning the crowd to silence. "Your one special treasure, ONE PIECE!"_

 _Silence reigned for few short moments before Roger began to chuckle which turned into a full out laugh (shocking the entire crowd aside from herself, that was all in too character for he man) and then began to answer. "My treasure?"_

 _That brought the Marines back to what they were supposed to be doing as they raised their spears at the man to intimidate him. "All right! That's enough!"_

 _But Roger would not be deterred, not on the seas and certainly not here. "If you want it, I'll let you have it! Go look for it!"_

 _The men raised their spears, ready to for the killing blow, but all she could focus on were Roger's words as he addressed his last words to the crowd. "I left all of it at that place!"_

" _EXECUTE!"_

 _And as the spears plunged into the man's chest, ending the life of the most famous pirate to date, Mana saw the man's last act was to smile at the end._

* * *

" **Pew! Pew!"**

The familiar sounds roused her from unconsciousness as Professor Eclipse Mana eyelids began to flutter open. Only to be greeted by two Cosmogs very up close to her face.

She sighed, looking up at the two Nebula Pokémon with a dry glare. "You two couldn't have let me get a little more sleep? The day is perfectly capable of starting without me."

The two simply floated with big smiles, circling her desk chair which she had fallen asleep in. She shook her head with a smile, these two had latched onto her, following her everywhere when she was on the island and even wanting to tag along when she left the island.

The professor sighed once, sitting up in her chair and stretching her arms. Despite being the Head Professor of the facility, her office was far from the largest. In fact, aside from the very full bookshelves, the few pictures on her desk, and the very picturesque window view behind her desk; the office was very minimalistic.

Her thoughts turned to her dreams as she mused out loud, catching the Cosmogs' attention. "Still, it's been awhile since I dreamed about that day…"

While the two Pokémon seemed to stare at the woman with questioning looks, she turned around her chair to take a look at the view of the Island.

Avalon Isle. She still remembered the first time she came to these facilities, back when her predecessor Professor Magnolia was in charge. Never had she seen so many Pokémon let alone an island that could house all the habitats a Pokémon could live in; grassland, forest, both water's edge and sea, cave, mountain, rough terrain, even urban areas that were built for the staff's living quarters. The sight of everything from the view never failed to take her breath away. And that wasn't counting the facilities built for research.

Smiling at all, she noticed her own reflection in the glass. She had to acknowledge some truth to the employee gossip at how over 40, she didn't look a day over twenty-nine! Other than that, there really wasn't that special about her appearance; a little over five feet, brown hair at medium length, brown eyes, professional white lab coat to go with black pants and a light blue shirt.

But then again, her interest had never been on her looks.

No, that had been the very beings she had studied her entire life. Pokémon. No one could fully say where Pokémon had come from, only that they had existed prior to the Void Century and could only found presently on Avalon Isle though evidence suggested they had previously lived in other places in the Grand Line and even in the Blue Seas. It may not be as popular a place for researchers as Vegapunk's Lab (she should know, she served under the old man for a time), but the facilities still held an impressive number of scientists to research the strange creatures.

Mainly due to the World Government. Personal issues aside, she had to admit that without the World Government's support the island facility would not be able to function. From a few conversations with Sengoku, she gleaned that some of the abilities of Pokémon were comparable to that of Devil Fruit users and any insight how to fighting certain types was greatly appreciated.

In addition to sharing her findings, she was also required to give out a certain amount of Pokémon per year to the Marines. Considering how very few of the Marines presented to her really stood out much, she mostly gave out Pidgeys or Zubats that were plentiful. From what she heard, they mostly turned into the pets of whatever ship they ended up on while occasionally relaying messages.

In return, she could present Pokémon to whomever she thought worthy as long as she recorded which ones were given. And considering how protective she was of them, that happened very rarely.

Looking out at the Isle, it didn't seem like much had changed since the beginning of the Great Pirate Era. But Mana could feel the calm, the real storm hadn't come yet. _And it when it does, even this little haven will not be safe._

All the more reason for her to do what she could now. To prepare for the storm Roger set in motion, both for her island and those who would brace headfirst into that storm.

" _Puru puru puru puru."_

The ringing of the Den Den Mushi shook her out of her reverie, she answered as the Cosmogs hid under her desk from the noise. "Yes?"

The voice of the male receptionist spoke in a very nevous and hurried tone. _"Ah, yes, Professor Eclipse, there's a Marine here in the lobby to see you!"_

That took the woman a little by surprise. "A Marine? But the yearly Marine visit was last month."

" _He's not in uniform, he says he's on vacation. Ah, well, he's kind of strange. He says he's an old friend of yours, but…."_

"Describe him."

" _Over sixty I'd say, pretty big, he's eating the rice crackers that I was saving for a snack, but I'm kind of scared to tell him off…"_

That stunned Mana for almost a full minute. Then she started laughing in a way she hadn't done in years.

Which only served to confuse the poor young receptionist on the other end of the line. _"Umm, ma'am….is everything okay?"_

That brought her laughter done as she answered in a warm voice. "Oh, I'm fine. Don't worry, he really is an old friend of mine. Did he say what he's here for?"

That seemed to bring some reassurance to young man as he answered. _"Well, there are two young boys with him, said to tell you he's here to collect on that favor of yours for them."_

Mana smiled in understanding. "I see, tell he'll be right down after I finish a couple of things here. And if he complains about having to wait, tell him that if he wanted my full attention right away he should have called and **made an appointment**."

" _As you wish, ma'am."_

With that said, Mana hung up the Den Den Mushi. The two little Cosmogs came out from under her desk, now that the strange snail was done making the human sounds.

She smiled at them. "I've got to go, Garp being left waiting for too long is just asking for trouble. Don't leave the office this time, alright?"

The two little Cosmogs didn't seem all that happy about. **"Pew! Pew!"**

Mana put her hands on her hips as she stared at the two firmly. "Do I need to get out the bag for you two again?"

The Cosmogs shook themselves quickly, obviously not fond of the idea.

She smiled at the two. "I know you don't like it, but I really don't want you to be seen by anyone outside the facility belonging to the World Government. Knowing Garp, he might let something slip. I'll be back before you two know it."

The Cosmogs didn't look all that happy, but bade her two goodbye waves.

With that, she turned towards the door, her thoughts running wild as she made her way out the door.

She remembered what Garp had asked her many years. _"Hey Mana, you're not a Marine or a Pirate. But you're not really a civilian either. What does this Age of Pirates mean to you?"_

 _What does it mean to me?_

 _It's a challenge. Not a challenge issued to me, but any who have the courage to stake their life on the line for that journey and the ultimate prize._

 _And those setting out a journey require a strength different from their own. A strength that hasn't been used since before the world as we know it came to be._

She took a deep breath as she steeled herself for what was to come. _To see whether Pokémon and those of Man can return to what they once were….to see if people are capable of bringing out the full potential of Pokémon…_

 _That is what it means to me!_

* * *

 **V.E.: I know, I know, not the best. Please take interest though.I really do want to write more of this. Though, this week is not good considering it's basically my exam week. Expect the next update next week.**

 **First up, Ace and Luffy!**

 **PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **Ps. Again, do you think I should put this under the crossovers?**


	2. Brothers Part 1: Ace

**V.E.: Thank God, exams are over! Won't know anything else about my plans for next semester until after the holidays. That means I can write this with no guilt. Anyway, last chapter was more of a prologue so this time we're getting into the kids getting Pokémon. Let's jump to that, though it will be awhile before I update this again.**

 **Just to be clear, I will explain why I choose those specific Pokémon for each one in the end Author's Note. Good thing this first one was easy. (ADDED: Easy choice? Yes. Length? Longer than I thought it would be.)**

 **Estimate Ages**

 **Ace: 13**

 **Luffy: 10**

 **7 years before the series starts**

 **Quote: "Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable."- Bruce Lee**

* * *

Monkey D. Garp was known by many things.

Marine Hero. "The Fist." Roger's Main Adversary. Or, if you were asking Fleet Admiral Sengoku, an absolute pain in the ass.

But despite some personal disagreements with the man, compared to the average Marine, Mana was quite fond of Garp. He was probably one of the very few people who respected her and was completely honest with her. He was also one of the select few she had given her personal Den Den Mushi Number to, calling every now and then for the both of them to blow off verbal steam (her about the World Government and some of the idiots they sent her way as interns, him for his own underlings but mostly about his grandsons).

That did not mean she wasn't _peeved_ at the state of the lobby when she got there (where the hell had the gorilla come from?!).

She was disapprovingly silent as she led the group of three through the hallways, the two young boys torn between cautious and curious whenever some of the researcher passed by with Pokémon in their arms. Obviously Garp had not told them anything. Typical.

She mentally sighed as she glanced back at the two boys for a moment as the oldest seemed to pull the little one along so he wouldn't wander off and get distracted.

Portgas D Ace.

Monkey D Luffy.

Unlike a good many of Garp's acquaintances, she knew quite a bit about those two. Mainly because she was one of the very people Garp could confide in and not risk her mentioning it to the wrong people. She could actually KEEP a secret. Nonetheless, Garp's description was spot on; black haired, lively, still somewhat short, Ace with freckles and a natural distrust towards strangers, Luffy's wide smile under a familiar straw hat.

And looking at the two of them, it was hard to believe the two weren't biologically brothers. Both their appearance and how they acted screamed family, but she knew better. Also, she had met Roger and Dragon and while it was not obvious, she could see the little bits they did inherit from their fathers (not that she would say that aloud to them, Garp was very adamant on trying to keep those secrets).

Still, looking at them she had already came up with some possibilities, but she knew she needed to talk to them personally to get a good feel on what suit them.

Which left one thing to do before that could happen.

Garp's uneasy smile was stretched quite a bit as he finally ended the silence. "Oh, come on Mana, it wasn't that bad…"

The researcher shot a very icy glare at the old man. "Garp, unless you want me to call Sengoku about this right now and tell him everything, you'll put in a pin in it. Also, when you're here it's _Professor_. Understood?"

Garp seemed to shrank back as he hung his head notably subdued. "Noted."

That seemed to garner the two boys' attention, as if unused to seeing the old man react like that to anyone.

Then Mana really did sigh out loud. "Honestly Garp, you couldn't have called ahead?"

That seem to bring some cheer back to the old man as he smiled. "Ah well, we were in the general area coming back from a camping trip, when I remembered you were nearby. Figured it was finally time to call up on that favor."

A smidge of amusement entered her tone as she spoke. "I thought you would you would do it for one of your Marine students. Well, I give you some credit you actually went to the lobby to get me for help. You know, remember what happened last time?"

Garp's face turned to the petulance of a young child. "Hey, I learned, okay!"

Mana nodded before turning her head to the young boys for attention. "Uh huh. Little piece of knowledge your Gramps learned the hard way; don't pick up any strange eggs on this island and try to make an omelet out of them."

Garp nodded, adding on to that. "Yeah, and that way you don't have to deal with an angry mother monster chasing you halfway across the island."

" _Pokémon_ Garp, a mother Tyranitar in your case."

Luffy seemed to perk up at that. "Tyran? That sounds like a dinosaur! Are there dinosaurs here?"

Mana had to hold back a laugh, settling for a medium sized smile. "Well, we do have some Pokémon that have dinosaur like characteristics, but I'm pretty sure you won't be seeing them since they are in one of the more high security parts of our facilities."

That seemed to damped little guy's spirits. "Awww….."

Ace's guard seemed to lower as he asked curiously. "Exactly, what is this place anyway?"

Mana simply smiled. "I'd have thought some of that would be obvious by now, but I guess that leaves some gaps to be filled in for our little talk. Speaking of which…"

The head researcher stopped as they had come to the door of her destination. "Here we are, my office. I'll take it from here Garp."

That seemed to annoy the old man as he pleaded with her. "What?! Come on Mana, just this once!"

Her smile didn't waver, her head motioning towards to the two brothers. "You know how I work, Garp. I need to get a good understanding of what would fit them, not what **you** think they should have or what looks cool."

Garp didn't look all that happy about that, but nodded in acceptance. "Fine, but these are my grandsons. So, none of those common types you hand out to the grunts, alright?"

Mana's smile became a little too shiny at that point as her tone continued as normal. "No promises. And just to make you aren't left to your own devices or try to eavesdrop on us, I made sure to set up a distraction before I came to pick you up from the lobby."

The old man's expression was slightly off balanced at those words. "Say what now?"

" _GARP-SAN!"_

The upbeat sunny, sugary sweet tone of the call had Garp CRINGE as he slowly turned his neck to face Mana's smiling face. " _Ruri?_ YOU CALLED RURI!"

"You wouldn't believe how happy she was to hear you were here. She normally doesn't like it when someone interrupts her…. _work_ , but the moment I said you were here she broke the leg of the man she was working on so she could finish up sooner."

The joyful yelling sounded closer as it rang out through the halls. _"GARP-SAN!"_

It took all Mana had not to laugh. "You should start running now."

Garp did not waste taking the hint as he sprinted to an impressive run for someone over the age of fifty, clouds of dust kicking up in his wake.

Mana then quickly opened the door, motioning the surprised boys to get inside. "Quickly, unless you want to get run over by a crazy blonde woman with a level of bloodlust and sadism that matches some of the most fearsome pirates out there. Just to be clear, this is someone _Garp_ is running from."

The two boys didn't argue with that, quickly going through the door and Mana following quickly behind. She shut the door with a satisfying THUD, relaxing herself to hear Ruri rush past the door without a second glance.

Mana let a sigh of relief at that before turning to face the young boys. "Well, that takes care of that. Now then, allow me to formally introduce myself. I'm Professor Eclipse Mana, Head Researcher of the Avalon Facility. And I've heard quite a bit about you two; Luffy, Ace."

That seemed to surprise the boys, Ace begin the one to voice it as he looked at her with some suspicion. "Exactly, how do you know about us?"

She smiled as she walked over to her desk, turning around and leaning her back towards it as she explained. "Oh, Garp has told a lot about the two of you, but that really only covers so much. Now, you were wondering exactly what this place was. It's kind of a long story."

That didn't seem to please the younger boy as he picked his nose. "I don't like long stories; make it short."

That earned him a fist to his head courtesy of the older boy. "Idiot, be polite!"

Mana shook her head with a smile. "It's okay, I'll try to make it as short as I can. This facility is meant to research special creatures that can only be found on this island though our studies suggest they used to live all over the world in the past. We call them Pokémon and I'm sure you saw a few of them on your way here though there are currently 802 known sub species with different appearances and abilities that are categorized into eighteen different types."

Luffy simply titled his head at the information. "So, they're mystery monsters?"

The researcher seemed to take a breath to go into more detail, before stopping and realizing who she was talking. She shrugged. "Well, if that's what you want to call them, I suppose that's okay. Though I suppose it's best you see for yourself up close and personal."

The researcher then knocked on the desk a few times, surprising the boys as she went on to speak. "Okay, you two can come out now."

From underneath, the desk, two pairs of yellow eyes belonging to bluish purple bodies peeked out. **"Pew?"**

"Come on, I'm sure they won't try to take away."

That seemed to reassure the two Nebula Pokémon stopped their hiding and floated over to the two boys, circling them a few times before they started smiling at them and cheering. **"Pew! Pew!"**

Ace seemed a little in awe at looking at the strange creatures as one of them nuzzled his cheek, mainly how they just seemed to like him for no real reason. "Wow…"

Luffy's eyes were a little star struck as well, his head bobbing up and down with excess energy. "Cool! How do they fly? Do they poop?"

Mana's tone was utterly serious as she broke up the little moment. "Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to, kid. Alright you two, I need to talk to these boys in private. Could you two go play with Meloetta for the rest of the day?"

The two Cosmogs glanced at each other, silently communicating before giving their affirmation with matching smiles. **"PEW!"**

She waved at the two as she opened the window for them. "Now don't get into too much trouble. I'll make sure dinner is extra special as a reward, got it?"

" **PEW!"** And with that, the two little Cosmogs waved goodbye to the two boys before floating their way out the window exit.

Mana smiled as she closed the window behind them. "Those two Cosmogs can be quite the curious little ones, but they're really good judges of character. They don't take a shine to just anyone."

Ace asked a question for her, his suspicion mostly gone but still there. "Why do you want to talk to us anyway?"

She smiled at the young man's thinking. "Well, that ties into another part of the research I do. You see back before I was the Head Researcher, it was discovered that if a Pokémon and a human work together like partners, Pokémon go beyond the limits of what we thought they were capable of. Unfortunately, there's only so much that can be achieved in the lab. So, as part of an agreement with the Marines, we match a set number of Marines to a Pokémon. The results being…. minimal at best. Most of the ones sent our way are pretty average. It's much like Devil Fruit powers, a Pokémon's full potential can only be brought out by the trainer that understands it the best and trains it to the right level."

Ace nodded. "And what does that have to do with us?"

"Well, your grandfather did a pretty big favor for me some years ago, and I told him that he could bring two or three of his best to the island one day and I'd give them a match up. I think you can put the rest of it together."

The freckled boy huffed. "I see, another ploy to try to get us to join the Marines…."

She nodded, but smiled warmly at the young boy. "Yeah, probably. But just because I give you a Pokémon, does not mean you're obligated to join the Marines. If I judge someone worthy, I am allowed to give them one. Just to be clear though, once I give you your Pokémon, I am not responsible for whatever you do with them. Okay?"

Ace seemed to understand, but seemed a little guarded about the matter. "Are these…Pokémon really that powerful?"

"Well, I like I said. It really depends on the Pokémon's partner. But I'm sure you know by now, that there is only so much you can accomplish on your own strength. And strength comes in many different forms."

That seemed to confuse the young man, but it seemed he understood the general principle as he nodded. "Alright."

The sound of a loud snore snapped the slightly tense atmosphere as the two turned to see Luffy's smiling sleeping face. Mana's face was utterly incredulous at the sight. "Is he sleeping standing up?!"

Ace only sighed in resignation before treating his little brother to another fist to the head.

Which proved super effective as the young boy woke up and covered the spot that was hit. "OWW! Ace!"

Said brother was completely unrepentant though his voice was tinged with fondness. "You fell asleep again, you dolt. That's a bad habit you know."

Luffy simply smiled, looking sheepish. "Oops. My bad."

Then he turned to Mana with a smile. "So, what are we here for? Are we going to fight the mystery monsters?"

For the first time in a while, something a human had done had rendered her utterly speechless, but she did manage to recover and decided it was best to take the short and simple with this kid. "I am giving you and your brother a Pokémon for each of you to take home."

That seemed to excite the young boy even more. "Cool! Are they as big as the monsters we usually fight? Are we going to have fight them first?"

 _Garp…..what are you teaching these kids?!_ Granted, she always thought no one in their right mind would leave their children with Garp, but she digressed. She winced as she went on, walking over to the two and crouching to their level. "First, I would seriously recommend NOT doing that. Not only could you get yourselves killed, but it would also make things more difficult for us to do our jobs. Second, before you can get your Pokémon, I need to get a good idea of who each of you are. That way, I'll know which one will best suit you."

Luffy seemed a little bit confused at that. "Can't I just get the same one Ace gets?"

She laughed a little at that before she explained. "Well it's not impossible for you two to match the same Pokémon, but it is very unlikely. However close you may be, you two are very different people and will be going your separate ways someday. Both of you have your own goals and will go through very different experiences. So, you may need different Pokémon to help each of you the best."

Luffy's face was rather serious at that. It was like she was voicing something he knew, but didn't like to hear. He eventually nodded. "Okay."

She then turned to Ace. "Alright, so I hear from your Gramps that despite all his best efforts to train you into fine Marines, you two are set on being pirates. So, what's the goal there for you Ace?"

Ace seemed puff his chest out a little at the mention of his dream. "I want to be a pirate so famous I'm known across the world, whether I'm accepted or hated or whatever. It doesn't matter what pirate stands in my way, I'll defeat them!"

Her head tilted in interest. "Oh, but there are a lot of strong pirates out there. What are you going to do when you're faced with someone you can't beat?"

"I won't run."

Mana's brown eyes widened slightly at his answer.

Ace continued, his eyes utterly serious. "It doesn't matter who I'm facing, I will never run! If I die, then I die. I don't need to live forever, but I _need_ to live my life to the fullest. I don't want any regrets."

Luffy looked at his brother with a mixture of sadness and worry, but did not say anything.

Which left Mana to contemplate the young man she was facing.

 _Fire._ The young man just seemed to scream fire, as if he embodied the element. That narrowed down the type at least, but there was still more. Garp had told her about some of Ace's doubts and his stubbornness, but it didn't really hit her until today. Brash, stubborn, physically strong; there was a lot of fire types that might fit him.

But what was just as important were the less obvious things. His hesitancy, his quick thinking in their conversation, and above all his protectiveness of Luffy. Despite being a little more physical than most might be comfortable with, it was clear that Ace's actions towards the young boy came out of genuine affection towards him. If those were faced down by an impossible monster, she had no doubt that Ace would fight it to the death so that Luffy would get away (no matter what the young boy wanted).

And with those puzzle pieces, everything clicked into place with one option. Mana smiled knowingly and then turned her attention to Luffy. "I see. Now then, what about you Luffy?"

That seemed to confuse the young boy in a straw hat so she clarified what she meant. "What are you planning to do when you become a pirate? What's _your_ dream?"

Luffy's face was blank for a few seconds before it broke out in a big smile. "Well that's easy. I'm going to be the king of the pirates!"

And then the world just seemed to stop for Mana.

She had been just planning to smile and nod, using the information to further get a handle on who this kid was, but this…. She had heard so many people tell her their goals and dreams, but the way this boy said it….

Like it wasn't debatable. Like it was fact. _He would be the Pirate King._

And for a split second of a moment, it wasn't Monkey D Luffy standing there. It was Gol D Roger that was grinning at her.

Finally, the moment passed and Mana came back to the present. She shook her head a few times, to clear her head.

The two black haired boys seemed to find what she was doing strange, but didn't seem to like they wanted to ask.

Eventually, she was back to herself as she answered the unasked question. "Sorry, you reminded of someone I used to know. Besides, I think I've gotten what I need to know.

And that was true enough. Monkey D Luffy was an individual with simple wants, but dreamed big. He wasn't the smartest nor did he have much in the way of common sense (goodness knows he would need a crew that would have to put up with him), but he made up for it in passion and determination.

He had a fire in him too, but it was less intense than Ace's flames. It was as if fire would aid him, but not completely like it would Ace. From what Garp had told her, his mastery of his Devil fruit powers had a long way to go, but he could harness it to help him fight.

And that left a couple of options. With one of them being so obvious, it was perfect. _Oh, the irony._

She stood up then, going behind her desk to pull out a drawer. "Well, now that that's settled, it's time to get your Pokémon."

That seemed to surprise the boys with Ace voicing his thoughts. "That's it? That's all you need to know?"

She pulled out two Den Den Mushis from the drawer (one for picture taking and the other for purposes another dimension would deem like a walkie talkie for those at the lab). "Pretty much, now we just need to get to them. We can pick Luffy's up at the lab easily, so we'll go do yours first Ace. Now quick question, how partial are you two to a little drive?"

* * *

Getting the two into the newly developed land rover (a gift form Dr. Vegapunk in exchange for data over different terrains) was easy.

Getting them to sit quietly while she drove them there was a whole other story. Or at least, Luffy. The boy could not sit still, constantly looking all around them at all the different types of Pokémon. Ace was the only thing keeping him in his seat form jumping up and exploring (she would have to talk to the man about the seatbelts). Looking back at them from the mirror, she had to smile at the two's antics. It'd been awhile since she'd been around children.

Still, it was relief when she finally saw the marker for the area they were heading. She parked the land rover, the grass plains surrounding them and the mountain area not too far in the distance. "Here we are. The rest we go on foot."

Luffy didn't waste any time getting out. "WOW!"

Ace was a little slower as he got out of the car. "Exactly, how much of this island is used for research?"

Mana replied as she got her bearings, finding the right direction. "Most of it, aside from the residential area and even there you'll see Pokémon walking around. You've seen the grasslands and can see the mountains from here, but we also have forests, caves, and other areas. The pack we're looking for in this direction. Make sure Luffy stays close, alright?"

Ace followed the professor, pulling the little hyper black haired boy behind him. "Already on it."

"No fair Ace!"

"Last time I let you wander off your own, we found out you were bulletproof! We may know Gray Terminal and Mt. Corvo, but we don't know this place so we're following her lead."

Luffy looked rather sullen at being treated like a child, but nonetheless followed his brother's lead.

The head researcher stopped as she looked upon their goal with a smile.

The two stopped in shock as they saw what was no doubt a herd of Pokémon, of what looked to be a mixture of orange-ish black dog like creatures. Some of them looked large enough that they could carry people on its back, while the others were the size of small dogs.

Ace, for once, was almost speechless as he let go of Luffy's hand. "Wow…."

Said boy was about to go over to the Pokémon before Mana grabbed his hand, with a grip firmer than he might have expected. "Those big ones are Arcanines, the smaller ones are their pre-evolved form Growlithe. They're pure fire types, with a great sense of smell and Arcanines are incredibly fast. However, they're also extremely territorial, so don't make a move towards them until I say otherwise."

Ace nodded and Professor Mana took out a whistle, causing the Arcanines and Growlithes to still before they turned their attention to the group of humans. The Growlithes seemed mostly unsure of the group while one of the Arcnaines seemed to step forward toward the Professor growling. It seemed to be the leader as most of other Arcanines seemed to be ready to back it up.

Mana didn't flinch though as she gestured to Ace. "We're not here to move your territory or take you all back to the lab. We came here for one of the pups for this one."

The Arcanine that came forward was not pleased. **"AR! AR!"**

The professor sighed. "You know how this works. Besides, it's been a long time one of the herd has left. It was about time."

" **AR! AR!"**

"If I say this boy is capable, then he is. Now please, let him come closer."

The Arcanine then turned its attention to Ace, who only flinched a little before matching the Pokémon's glare with his own. Finally, the Arcanine seemed to sigh and turn its head barking to the others which seemed dot relax them a bit.

Mana sighed in relief this time as she motioned to Ace. "It's okay now. Don't go to close, sit down at the middle and then wait."

He nodded as he did exactly as she said (wouldn't the bandits be surprised that some Makino's manners lessons had stuck). Sitting down at about the midway point between the Pokémon and others, he glanced over at the little ones with hesitance.

The Arcanine then called out to the Growlithes and gestured to Ace. **"AR! AR!"**

The Growlithes seemed to understand their leader. They looked over Ace at the distance, but made no move toward him. In fact, a few of them seemed to take a few steps back.

Ace's expression was that of unsurprised, his head facing the ground. _They don't want to get near a demon like me at all._

Eclipse Mana almost scowled at the scene. "Ugh, this is bad. Doesn't look like any of them want to go near Ace."

Luffy looked a bit sad at that. "Does not mean Ace is not going to get a mystery monster?"

"No, he'll be getting one, but I was hoping to get a Growlithe for him today. It'll be a while before the next mating season and taking care of an egg is a lot more difficult than you think. But if that's the case…"

But just before the professor could confuse Luffy with things he didn't understand, the atmosphere was broken by a couple of loud calls. **"GIBLE! GIBLE!"**

" **Growlithe!**

The entire company (aside from Ace) turned to the place where the herd's grassland territory seemed to meet the beginning of the mountain area, where a Growlithe and a Gible seemed to talking to each other.

The Gible waved its little arms goodbye. **"Gible!"**

Then the dragon ground type caught sight of the humans, the less than happy head Arcanine, and turned tail to run back to the mountains.

The Growlithe seemed to title its head, staring after its fleeing friend in confusion. **"Growl?"**

The head Arcanine seemed to have reached its limit as it screeched at the little Growlithe, seeming to shake the ground. **"AR!"**

The Growlithe slowly turned to face the leader with a sheepish expression. **"Growlithe. Growl?"**

It wasn't that effective. **"AR!"**

The head Arcanine seemed to tear into the Growlithe as the little one stood there cringing, but took it.

Mana, for one, was only slightly surprised. "Well, looks like we've walked into a regular family dispute."

Luffy titled his head. "Oh, so that's what they look like."

She raised an eyebrow at the kid. "Your Gramps doesn't scold you like that?"

The straw-hat boy shook his head. "Nah, he only yells a little, then he starts beating us up."

Before Mana could really think about reporting Garp for child abuse, the little Growlithe seemed dot notice the presence of the humans. More specifically, the little boy sitting with his head facing the ground.

The Puppy Pokémon trotted over to where the young man was, surprising the Arcanine who turned to see what it's pup was doing. **"Ar?"**

The little Growlithe got close enough to Ace and barked softly. **"Growl?"**

That got Ace to look up, finding himself practically face to face with the Pokémon. For a couple of moments, the two just stared at each other. Then the Growlithe got a little closer, sniffing him.

Ace seemed like he was the one who wanted to back up, but swallowed that feeling as he stretched out his arm to it (he had seen the bandits do it with the dog, maybe the same principle would work here). The Growlithe sniffed his arm before going back to staring at Ace.

Then it seemed to smile. **"Growlithe!"**

It jumped onto Ace's lap, surprising the black-haired boy as the Puppy Pokemon started licking Ace's freckled cheeks.

The head Arcanine's expression was utterly shocked, almost as if frozen.

Mana, on the other hand, sighed in relief. "Well, looks like I worried over nothing. Looks like you've been chosen Ace."

Ace looked down at the little Growlithe, whose expression was utterly happy and accepting of its new human friend, its tail wagging. His lips twitched as a small smile came to his face, scratching behind the Growlithe's ears (which it seemed to like).

The Growlithe then turned to the head Arcanine (who seemed to be coming out of its shock). **"Growlithe! Growlithe! Growlithe."**

The head Arcanine seemed to bear its teeth, but it seemed to hang its head in reluctance as it turned away. **"AR."**

Growlithe seemed to nod. **"Growlithe!"**

Then it turned its full attention back to licking Ace.

The young man stood up then, trying not to laugh as he held the Puppy Pokémon in his arms. "Okay, okay; that's enough."

Professor Eclipse Mana smiled as Ace walked over with his Growlithe to her and Luffy. "Well, that takes care of the hardest part. Now we just need to head back to the lab…"

Unfortunately, the universe decided to pull Murphy's Law at that point as a Spearow swooped down from the sky and grabbed Luffy's infamous straw hat. **"Spearow!"**

With the boy it belonged to, not being happy about it all, yanking out of the grip of the professor and chasing after the birdlike Pokémon with a speed that had the Arcanines blinking twice. _"HEY, THAT'S MY HAT!"_

The woman called after him in vain. "Wait, Luffy...!"

Unfortunately, he was out of sight by then. She hung her head in frustration. "I…spoke too soon."

Ace shrugged, unsurprised at the turn of events. "Yeah, he really does that treasure that hat."

Growlithe seemed to tilt its head in confusion that a human could run that fast. **"Growl?"**

* * *

 **V.E.: Okay originally, I was going to have both Ace and Luffy in this chapter, but its running long as it is, so we'll get to Luffy next time. After that, it'll be the Straw hats.**

 **Now then, typing. You both know that these going to get fire types. It was kind of a no brainer. I'll get more into Luffy's Pokémon next time, but Ace was going to get a Pure Fire Type Pokémon.**

 **Growlithe/Arcanine: Sometimes I'll read a description for this and say "Yep, that's that person's Pokémon." When it comes to matching, it can either reflect the person's personalilty or what that person lacks. With this case being the former. Aside from being a fire type, it's also got a couple of traits that lines up with Ace. Someone could say it's pseudo legendary status could tie into Ace being the son of a legend (Gol D Roger). It's stated in the Pokedex entries that they will attack larger, stronger enemies if their trainer is danger. Just like Ace with Bluejam or Whitebeard. Lastly, Growlithe is described as incredibly loyal and if there is one thing that describes Ace (other than stubborn) it's loyalty.**

 **So, I'm over 5,400 words with this, so please review! I've got another story, but then I'll be back to this one.**

 **Hope to see you soon!**


	3. Brothers Part 2: Luffy

**V.E.: So, I've moved this story into the crossover section. Hopefully, I still have all my readers. I know last chapter I cut it off, but I was at my limit by that point. Hopefully, the rest of my chapters will be shorter since we're getting away from the island and explanations.**

 **Now it's time for Luffy to get his Pokémon! Which many of you have no doubt guessed what it is, but I am throwing in a few guests this chapter that won't make much sense until later.**

 **Speaking of which, let's just say we haven't seen the last of that Gible from last chapter.**

 **Well then, let's press on!**

 **Quote:** " **In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit."- Albert Schweitzer**

* * *

Sometimes being the weakest and the smallest among your group had its benefits. At least when it came to sneaking out of the lab.

That was what the little Chimchar had thought upon getting out the facilities before proceeding to get itself hopelessly lost in the forest. Usually, those whom the scientists deemed "starters" were kept within the lab for observation and study. When they evolved (because very few starters left with the marines, something about them lacking "personality"), they would be later transferred back to where their herd was.

But this morning, the little Chimchar woke up feeling kind of funny. It wasn't like the sick kind of funny, but more like a "something is about to happen" feeling. And it seemed like he was the only one in the group that felt like that. He might have asked the others, but considering how badly they might have made fun of him he decided to settle this feeling himself. All he could think of was _getting out of the lab_ and _getting out today_.

Which led him to wandering around the island with no clear direction to go.

It wasn't all that bad, exploring the island was fun aside from the otherwise larger and more experienced Pokémon that could have easily beaten him up. As the runt of his group, he was pretty used to being the target so he was pretty used to running away and hiding. Heck, some of the Turtwigs could take him out.

Still, he couldn't help but feel…. a little empty at the prospect of doing this for the rest of his life once he evolved. _If_ he ever evolved.

Before the little monkey Pokémon could even ponder that further, a loud shout disrupted his thoughts. "OI, GIVE ME BACK MY HAT YOU STUPID MYSTERY MONSTER BIRD!"

That made the little Chimchar jump a bit before he turned in the direction of the noise. Almost without realizing it, he made his way up the closest tree and began jumping from branch to branch, tree to tree, to where the voice was coming from. It was almost as if….

Once more the little Pokémon's thoughts were interrupted as he stopped in a tree to look at a rather strange sight before him.

At the bottom of one of the trees, a young human boy with black hair (which was as much as the Chimchar could see at this angle) was calling up and waving his fists toward a Spearrow who was perched as the top with a strange hat in its beak who seemed to have no intention of giving it up.

It was a strange scene for the Chimchar. He had become so used to being looked after by humans that seeing Pokémon that did not give any respect towards them was odd. Granted, he had never really interacted with a human younger than those in the lab. He had heard stories of from those who had been taken form the lab to the scientists' homes. Apparently, young humans tended to be very loud and somewhat destructive.

At the very least, the first appeared to be true given how the boy kept yelling up at the Spearrow. "OI! GIVE IT BACK NOW!"

It seemed as if the Spearrow had had enough of the boy's indignant screeching and flapped its wings to fly away with its prize.

Finally, it seemed the boy realized yelling wasn't going to get things done and started swinging his fist for some reason. "Gomu….Gomu no…"

Then the fist was sent flying into the air as the arm _stretched_ up to the sky, which had the Chimchar's eyes grow to almost cartoonish size. "PISTOL!"

As strange a sight as it was, the flying punch hit its target. The Spearrow was knocked out of the sky, dropping the straw hat into the trees.

Happy at its accomplishment, the little human seemed to forget what it was really after as it exclaimed in glee. "Wow, I actually hit it!"

The little Chimchar felt utterly bamboozled by this strange human before his mind turned to what had been dropped. He jumped from tree to tree, leaving the small human to celebrate his small victory.

With tis speed, it did not take long for the little monkey to reach the general area of where the hat had fallen and sure enough he saw the hat hung up on a branch as if it was on a regular hat post. The Chimchar quickly jumped over to the specific tree, easily making its way to the end of the branch where it hung. He tilted its head to look at the hat, just an old straw hat with a red ribbon. The little Pokémon couldn't understand what would be so special about it as he picked it up to examine it more.

Then the Chimchar and placed it on his head. Instantly, the little Pokémon felt…. he wasn't sure _how_ to describe it. A strange scent washed over him, something that was a little familiar to the water that was in the lab for the water Pokémon, but it was _different_ and even though the fire Pokémon did not mix well with water he kind of liked this scent. Then it seemed like the fears he had carried for so long lessened. From the top of this tree, he felt the desire to go further than what he had explored. Beyond this forest, beyond the island, there was a great big world out there to see.

There was something else too as if this hat was carrying something that could not be seen this world. It was a strange thought, but it was as if there was some wish that the hat wanted to see fulfilled.

Then the feeling stopped and the Chimchar's reality came back to him. The Pokémon took the hat off very quickly, suddenly very afraid of the unknown (not the Pokémon, for all the horror stories he had heard of them messing with the humans the few he had seen seemed nice). What had he been thinking? He was never going to leave this island, there was no way he could handle it on his own. Those thoughts weren't like him. Were they?

But still, what was he going to do with this hat? The right thing to do would be to return it to the human, but then again, the strange human could attack him too. The very thought sent a shiver down his spine. He didn't know what else the human was capable of, but he was sure he did not want to find out.

Maybe he should just leave the hat, but at the same time as much as what he felt frightened him it also excited. He didn't want to quite let go of it. What to do?

But before the monkey Pokémon could make a decision, it was taken out of his hands with a familiar indignant call. **"SPEARROW!"** _Hey, you!_

The Chimchar turned around slowly, finding a very irate Spearrow glaring down at him from a higher branch. A comically large bump was sticking out of the side of its face, but its eyes were completely on the monkey Pokémon. **"SPEARROW. SPEARROW."** _Hand over the hat pipsqueak and that will be only thing that gets destroyed._

Normally, the Chimchar would have run away in fear, leaving the hat behind him. Being the smallest and the weakest meant that the only good thing you had going for you was running and hiding. Besides, a hat was a hat and he had nothing to do with the kid that it belonged to.

But for some reason, he didn't want to let go of the hat. It was…special, and it was worth saving.

The little orange-ish brown monkey hugged the hat to himself as he shook his head. **"Chimchar."** _No._

The angry Spearrow gained a large tick mark on the side of its head. **"SPEARROW! SPEARROW!"** _I'm sorry, but it looked to me like you said 'No.' Now drop the hat._

Chimchar shook his head again, his voice getting firmer. **"Chimchar!"** _No, I won't!_

" **SPEARROW!"** _The hard way it is then, pipsqueak!_

And with that angry call, the Spearrow flapped its wings, lifting itself off the branch and dove towards the lower branch were the Chimp Pokémon was.

The attempt was enough to startle the Chimchar to falling off the branch, going back to earth with a definite 'THUD!' Luckily, the little Pokémon managed to land in a bush so the fall was not as bad as it could have been. The hat resting safely on the bush not far from him, the Chimchar opened its eyes and stood up. It sighed at the good luck before its turned its head upwards at the Spearrow looking right at him in midair.

The birdlike Pokémon was giving him the evil eye as it screeched to it. **"SPEARROW!"** _You're dead, pipsqueak!_

Chimchar took a few steps forward, a strange feeling in its chest as it got away from the bush **"Chimchar…."** _Stop it…._

The Spearrow tilted its head to the side, as if sensing something was amiss. **"Spearrow?"** _Huh?_

" **CHIMCHAR!"** _ENOUGH!_

And with that cry, the flame tail on its back blazed bigger and brighter, connecting the fire that was coming out of its mouth to make the Pokémon a wheel of flame. The wheel of flame barreled into the air and sent the Spearrow flying off as the flames singed some of its feathers black.

The wheel of fire then came back down to earth, spinning around a few times before fading away and leaving the Chimchar in its place. The Chimp Pokémon panted heavily, feeling somewhat faint and disoriented. He stumbled a bit as he walked over to where the straw hat lay in the bush, picking it up though still confused at what just happened. **"Chim…. char?"** _What…. was that?_

Before the Chimchar could think on it any further, a familiar cry of glee interrupted. "AMAZING!"

The monkey like Pokémon jumped in surprise (not losing its grip on the straw hat) as he turned to see the human child from earlier, its eyes seeming to sparkle with glee. This time the child was facing him, so the Chimchar could get a better look at it. It seemed to be a male child with wild black hair, brown eyes, a wide smile, and had a small scar underneath his left eye.

The young child did not seem to notice the Pokemon's unease as he bounded over to it with excitement, seeming to jump up and down at what he had seen. "SO COOL! How did you do that? Can all of you monsters do that fire thing or is it just you? Because that was really cool!"

The Chimchar felt his face flush at the praise the human was obviously trying to give him, resisting the urge to put on the straw hat and hide his face in embarrassment.

Speaking of the object, it was then the little human noticed what was in the Chimp Pokémon's arms. "Ah, my hat!"

The human's eyes then turned to the Chimchar and held out his hand. "Give it back!"

The Chimchar took a step back in fright. He wasn't sure whether how powerful this human was, but he honestly did not want that weird attack of his used on him.

Luffy didn't seem to like the action, but seemed to notice the Pokémon's nervousness. "Huh, why are you afraid of me? You're the one with the cool fire powers."

The Pokémon did not know what to say to that, but it did make him think twice about this human. He looked down at the hat before looking back at the boy then the hat, wondering why the boy wanted it so badly.

"It's my treasure."

Surprised at receiving an answer, the Chimchar looked up at the boy with a small scar as he explained. "Shanks gave to me and I promised I would give it back to him when I became a great pirate. It's super important. So…. can I please have it back?"

The Chimchar looked back down at the hat, though understanding the boy's desire he still felt as if that wasn't all there was to this hat. But then again, perhaps the boy didn't know about it. Still, it was his hat and he should return it.

Taking it away from his chest, the monkey like Pokémon was just about to hand over the hat to the young boy when he suddenly stiffed at what he saw not too far behind the boy.

A flock of very familiar bird Pokémon with a slightly charcoaled one at its head. Which looked utterly PISSED OFF. (If there was something as Pokémon Spearrow lacked, they made up for it with numbers.)

Without thinking too much, the Chimchar brought the hat back to himself and turned tail and ran; shrieking shrilly as it took off as fast it could. **"CHIMCHAR!"**

Luffy's eyes grew large and snarled angrily as he saw the Chimp Pokémon flee. "OI! What are you doing?! At least give me back my hat first!"

His question for why the Pokémon was doing that, however, was answered as the small flock of birds flapped after the little orange monkey Pokémon.

Getting a sense of foreboding, Luffy blinked a few times at what had just happened. "Uh oh."

Not wasting any time, Luffy ran in the direction of where the Pokémon had headed. It was somewhat different compared to when Ace and he hunted back home, but he managed to keep up just fine by listening closely. He ran past a lot of trees, noticing the ground was kind of rising. He also noticed a much clearer pathway nearby that seemed to be going up the hill, but there was no guarantee it would help him get to where the group of mystery monsters were now.

He kept on running up until he got away from the trees and before him was a rickety old bridge with a significant drop to the water down below. Still, not too far away cowering over the hat was the little Chimchar. The flock of Spearrow were diving to and fro around the orange monkey Pokémon, having the little guy hug himself closer to the hat.

The very image was enough to set Luffy's blood boiling (mystery birds or not, that was his hat!). "OI! STUPID MONSTERS!"

That seemed to gain the Spearrow's attentions as the little boy raced onto the bridge. He stumbled slightly, a part of one of the planks falling into the water, but the very unstable and rickety bridge did not seem to bother him as he made his way over to the Chimchar. Falling over the little Pokemon, he covered him and glared at the bird Pokemon. "GO AWAY!"

The Spearrow did not seem to want to comply with his order, but then one of them seemed to noticed something in the sky, its eyes becoming utterly terrified. **"SPEARROW! SPEARROW!"** _GUYS! DANGER INCOMING!_

The lead Spearrow did not looked pleased at that. **"SPEARROW?!"** _What danger?!_

Then the lead Spearrow turned and got a look at the what the fuss was about. And then promptly screeched and turned right around to fly away. **"SPEARROW!"** _Let's get out of here!_

The other Spearrows saw what was the matter and followed suit.

Luffy, on the other hand was obvious to this, only seeing that mystery birds were gone. "Huh, why'd they stop?"

Then he looked down at the monkey who was still curled around his straw hat who seemed to be shivering. "Oi, are you okay?"

Chimchar raised its head, finding only the curious face of the young human boy. It nodded its head, the fear fading from him. **"Chim."** _Yeah._

And it was at that moment Murphy's Law decided to kick in as the creaking of the bridge got louder and Chimchar noticed part of his flame tail had managed to make things even more fragile. **"Chimchar."** _Oh no._

With that, the part of the bridge where the two were gave away, giving them a significant drop to a certain watery death. Instinctly hugging the Chimp Pokémon tightly, Luffy shut his eyes as he fell. He really didn't want to die, but he was a rubber man and rubber can't fly!

Until he wasn't falling.

The strange sensation of being caught by something and going up instead of down surprised the young boy, but he didn't open in his eyes until he felt himself being placed on solid ground. When he did, he glanced down to see the Chimchar still holding his straw hat. He smiled. "Hey!"

The Chimchar looked up at him, seeing to be put at ease as Luffy laughed. "Shishishi! We're okay!"

" **Chimchar."** The Chimp Pokemon nodded as he set the straw hat back on the young boy's head, a feeling of warmth growing in his chest.

Luffy smiled even wider at the gesture. "Thanks! For protecting it! Even if you are kind of a scaredy cat, you're really cool."

The Chimchar seemed happy at the praise, but then his eyes went wide and his mouth dropped wide open as he shivered in terror at what he was seeing behind the boy. _**"Chim….char…."**_ _Oh, Arceusus…._

Luffy tilted his head at the Pokemon's reaction. "What's the matter?"

The boy turned around, getting his answer as his eyes went wide at the sight. Only, instead of in terror like the Pokémon, his eyes went wide in amazement. "OH!"

Floating in the air, was a green dragon like thing that was different from the other mystery monsters Luffy had seen on this island. It had red tipped rudder like wings on its shoulders, down its body, and similar patterns on its tail. Yellow like symbols covered its body as well as a yellow circle on its head. Its two arm like things had three claws and had four horns on its head, the two on top bigger than those under its jaw. These details coupled with its noticeable gums and fans as well as its small yellow eyes within black pupils should have scared anyone off.

But Luffy wasn't scared of this creature at all. It wasn't looking at him like it was angry or hungry. In fact….

He called out to the green creature with a smile. "Hey! Thanks for saving us!"

The green creature seemed to understand what the boy said and floated nearer to the strange duo of human and Pokémon.

Before it could get too close though, the little Chimchar jumped down form Luffy's arms and called out to it. **"CHIMCHAR!"** _Don't hurt him!_

The green dragon like creature's attention turned to the Chimp Pokémon, the little one's bravery fading fast the yellow eyes stared him down. **"Chim…"** _Please…_

The green dragon like Pokémon did not growl or seem to take any hostility at the Chimchar's actions. In fact, it snorted before looking down at it with an expression that seemed downright amused at the notion of hurting the boy. But there was also hint of being impressed that this little one stood up to it.

Then it turned its attention back to Luffy, getting close so they were face to face. For a full minute, golden eyes stared into dark brown as if searching for something.

Then the Pokémon licked Luffy's face, causing the young boy to laugh. "Shishishi! That tickles!"

The green dragon then nuzzled the boy, a tender croon coming from it.

The sweet moment was not to last as another human's shout broke it. "LUFFY!"

The dragon like Pokémon drew back at the noise, flying upwards. It turned back to the two one last time before glancing down at the Chimchar and issued a message with a resounding roar. **"Kiyarassshhhaaahhh!"** _Take care of hatchling._

Luffy simply watched the dragon creature go while the Chimchar watched it leave in utter confusion at the message.

But there wasn't much time to think on that as Ace with his Growlithe in his arms and Professor Eclipse came on the scene, enough to see the dragon like Pokémon take to the sky and disappear. Ace was just as mesmerized at such a big Pokémon as Luffy while Growlithe seemed to share its partner's feelings. "Whoa…."

Professor Mana's eyes, on the other hand, were wide with disbelief. "Rayquaza?! But why would….?"

Then her head immediately turned to Luffy. _Of course. Rayquaza would sense him. After all, he is **HIS** son._

Then she saw the little Chimchar by Luffy's side and felt a smile break out on her face. _Well, if this isn't fate, I don't know what is._

Ace's interest in the legendary Pokémon faded as he went to check out how Luffy was. "Luffy, are you alright?!"

Luffy smiled as he chattered an explanation, glancing to the Chimchar at times."Oh Ace, I was chasing this mystery bird who took my hat and I managed to land a hit on it! Then I met this cool mystery fire monkey and then...!"

Ace cut him off there, his Growlithe already looking confused. "You know what, you can tell me later on the boat.

Mana then laughed, drawing the boys' attention back to her. "Well, this saves us a trip to the lab since Luffy has already found his Pokémon. Or maybe it would be better to say it found him."

Luffy's eyes sparkled as the Chimchar seemed surprised at what the Professor was saying. "Really?!"

The boy then turned to the Chimp Pokémon. "Hey, do you want to come with me? I'm going to become the Pirate King and it'd be really cool to have a mystery fire monkey with me!"

Chimchar was quiet for a moment before he saw Luffy looking solely at him, confidant and warm.

The little orangish monkey smiled and nodded. **"CHIM!"** _Sure!_

The professor then dug through her pockets, bringing out the Den Den Mushi that doubled as a camera (next time she would just bring a regular camera along). "Well, now that the hard part is over with, picture time!

Both boys looked a little confused at that before she explained. "I've always had a passion for photography and this how I work it into my job. I have an album of everyone I've matched and what Pokémon they got.

"Now who wants to go first?"

* * *

Nothing made Professor Eclipse Mana breathe a sigh of relief more than the sight of a Marine ship leaving her island.

Once the boys and their Pokémons' (a female Growlithe and a male Chimchar) pictures had been taken (which had taken a little time to get right, she'd soon put them into her album), the group had gone to find Garp down by the docks.

Aside form his frazzled appearance (he had just gotten away from Ruri), the old man seemed pleased with the cute little fire Pokémon his grandsons had gotten. The feeling was not mutual for the Pokémon it seemed they Instinctly knew that Garp was stronger than most humans and wanted to put as much distance between him and their partners.

She saw the two boys from the back of their ship, Ace simply smiling while Luffy was waving and calling goodbye to her at a large distance. It made her smile.

But then her smile dropped as she saw in the sky something she certainly didn't expect to see twice in one day.

Over the ship, a massive bird was flying over with golden red feathers and yellow tail feathers, a white underside, and green feathers at the tip of its wings. It had a green stripe on its neck, a yellow beak, black rings around its red eyes, and a feathered, yellow crest on its head. As it flew in the ari, a rainbow seemed to be left behind it.

Needless to say, the professor was shocked. _Ho Oh!? But the last time he was near any humans was when Roger..._

Then the events of the day seemed to shift in perspective as the professor mused to herself. _Two legendaries in the same day...if that isn't a sign that things are changing..._

"Well, isn't that something?"

Mana turned to her right, a blond haired relatively young woman standing next to her. She was a wearing a lab coat, but it was tinged with fresh red blood and underneath was a black cat suit like apparel. Her expression was sweet and interested, but was off putting compared to the purple eyepatch covering where her right eye should be. Her left eye showed a clear less sky blue though seemed a tad unhinged.

The woman continued with a smile. "The Pokémon that promises eternal happiness to whoever sees it shows up **after** I would have wanted to use that wish."

Mana felt slightly amused at it all. "I take it you had fun with Garp?"

She nodded, pouting slightly. "Yeah, though you think he would have learned to stop running from me. Kept muttering 'Of all of the kids in Fuschia at the time, why did Dragon have to befriend the crazy one?' How rude. He better deliver my message to Maki chan."

Mana laughed at that. "Well, it is what is."

Then Professor Eclipse fell silent as she looked back up at the rainbow. _Eternal happiness huh?_

 ** _"Eternal happiness? I don't know about that, but what makes me happiest is the beginning of a new adventure!"_**

The old Pirate King's words in her mind, she finally spoke. "Hey, Ruri."

"What is it?"

"I think I'm going to leave the island for a while."

The blonde woman's blue eye twinkled with knowledge. "You think it's finally time?"

"Well, I won't know until I see what this generation has to offer. Think you can take care of the... **rats** while I'm gone?"

She nodded, her grin utterly vicious. "Just leave it to me. Make sure that you have all the starters with you and to say all your goodbyes."

Mana smirked as she turned around, her mind on the journey ahead and more excited than she had been in a long time. "And just what do you take for?"

Ruri giggled at the thought of the coming storm.

* * *

 **V.E.: Oh boy. Well, at least I finished this before February. I'll do another story chapter before I come back to this though so I hope it will tie you over.**

 **Ruri: She just came my mind while writing last chapter. expect her to come up later involving two chapters in particular. As will Rayquaza in one of those chapters.**

 **Chimchar/Monferno/Infernape: Infernape is basically Luffy's spirit Pokémon. Not just because it's a monkey like Pokémon, not just because it's fire and fighting typing fits Luffy to a T, but because are they actually are based around the same literary figure. It's mentioned on the Bulbapedia that Infernape's design and Japanese name were based around the monkey character Sun Wukong from the Chinese novel _Journey to the West._ His Japanese name is Son Goku and any Dragon Ball fans should recognize that name, as I heard that the original _Dragon Ball_ series was actually a retelling of the story. And guess who Oda stated one of his main anime inspirations for Luffy?**

 **Heads up though, this is far from the last Pokémon starter to make it on to the Strawhats Crew.**

 **Next up is Zoro, which I hope will be significantly shorter than these last two.**

 **Make sure to leave review and I will see you next time!**


	4. Zoro

**V.E.: SENIOR…..SEMESTER….IS….A….KILLER…..**

 **Yeah, typical excuse, but it's a very valid one in my case. Besides, I had a story I hadn't updated in a while. I really am hoping that this will NOT be as long like the last two chapters. Still, I do need to build up the situation with these people and what gets them to their Pokémon.**

 **And yes there are Poke Balls in this universe, but I won't reference them too much.**

 **Anyway, reviews have really picked up since I designated this a crossover! Hope it stays that way.**

 **This is going to be difficult considering a certain individual in Zoro's past that I have mixed feelings towards. I'll talk about that more at the end of the chapter. If any of you read the author's note.**

 **Zoro: 12/13 years old**

 **Quote: "If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride - and never quit, you'll be a winner. The price of victory is high but so are the rewards."- Paul Bryant**

* * *

"You know Koshiro, when you asked me if I wanted a drink, I was expecting something of the alcoholic variety, not tea."

The calm dojo master seemed to smile as he brought over the tray of tea to his guest. "Oh? But tea is so much better for you…"

Professor Eclipse Mana growled as she stared the man down, seated on the floor in his private room. "KOSHIRO…."

That brought a small laugh to man as he took his seat at the opposite end of the small table. "Forgive me Mana, but I really only have tea now. Let's just there was an…incident not too long ago involving my old stash and several of my students."

Mana sighed as she picked up her cup, blowing a cooling breath over the steaming cup. "Well, I suppose I can't fault that reason. I guess I should just be grateful you're putting up with me."

Once Mana had decided to venture out, she had decided to turn her attention to the East Blue. Contrary to what most people believed, Mana didn't see the East Blue as "The Weakest Sea." After all the individuals she had met from there (Roger, Dragon, and Garp to name a few), she thought of it more as "The Go Big or Go Home Sea." And if the calm of the storm was starting to pass, she had no doubts some of the reason for that would come from this blue.

Especially since this was where those two had grown up.

And it just so happened she had a list of errands to do and old friends to visit in the place. One of which being someone she met during her travelling days, who now ran the dojo in the quiet Shimotsuki Village.

Admittedly, _Friend_ was not the word she'd use to describe Koshiro. More like _Disagreeing Acquaintances._

Koshiro took up his own cup, his face as calm as always. "Not at all, my younger students were quite take with those Pokémon. Reminds me of how we first met."

Mana nodded, taking a sip. "I'll admit, it was nice to meet someone who didn't immediately try to fight or capture the Pokémon I had. I was not as good of a trainer as I am now and I'm not sure whether they would have listened to me that well."

"That's to be said of any person who dedicates their life to something. And yet, you still haven't learned how to sit properly."

She sighed, rearranging her legs into the "correct" position. "Koshiro, there is no "proper" way to sit. I have sat like that for years. Anyway, I suppose I'll be leaving tomorrow, sorry for inconveniencing you."

Koshiro's face seemed a little surprised at that. "Leaving? You just got here last night."

"Well, I have a bunch of places to go in the East Blue. Granted, I haven't had much luck yet…"

That brought a very solemn expression to the dojo master's face. "So, you really believe that _that_ storm is finally coming?"

Mana nodded, finishing her sip before going on. "Yes, if not for a couple of years. Still, I've traveled quite a bit of this sea. So far, I haven't met anyone yet with the potential."

"Perhaps you judge too quickly. How can you know someone has the potential to be great if you only spend a little amount of time in one place without really seeing them?"

Her eye twitched as she felt her tone turned sour. " _Oh_? So you're saying my methods are the problem?"

Koshiro shook his head. "I'm just saying that "just a feeling" is not a good judge of a person. After all, as a teacher…."

She interrupted him before he could give her the same line he had given her before. "As a teacher, you have seen many rise from humble starts to great heights with the sword. However, this is **not** swordsmanship we are talking about. Not everyone can bond with any type of Pokémon, in fact I've only met two people who were able to befriend any Pokémon they met. Both of which are unfortunately no longer in this world. It takes a particular type of person to bond in that way. Besides, your way of teaching is not perfect either."

If his eyes were not closed, they would be glinting as hard as steel. "For the last time, Mana, it's tradition in this dojo for the young boys of the village to study here. Kuina was an exception. Besides, women…."

"May not have the same arm strength that men have, but that doesn't mean they are incapable fighters. I have dealt with female Marines and Pirates, both in the past and currently. As a matter of fact, one of my best enforcers on Avalon Isle is a woman."

Mana set her cup down with a definite THUD, not even startling Koshiro as she went on. "The way I fight is not determined by race, gender, class, or blood. Not everyone can do it, but the potential to do so can come from anywhere. I would hope you would at least respect that about me."

The moment was tense, turning into a very quiet minute. Finally, Koshiro sighed, putting down his own cup. "I suppose we will never fully agree on this matter."

She nodded, her voice much quieter than before. "Indeed. It's not your fault Koshiro, nor mine. We just grew up in very different places with very different values."

Koshiro quirked a little bit of a smile. "I suppose that I _can_ agree on that. Still, will you not stay a little longer? It's been awhile since we've actually talked and news from your end takes a long while to get here."

Mana stretched her neck a bit from side to side as she answered. "Well, I had been hoping I would have come across someone I could have mentored with a Pokémon for a few days, but like I said, there's not much luck. Heck, this was the place I had the most hopes for with young children. I'm sorry, but I didn't sense the potential in the students I've seen."

Koshiro nodded, before it seemed he thought of something. The dojo master opened his mouth as if to say something, but was interrupted.

" **MUDKIP!"**

The two humans turned in the direction of where the voice was coming from and the little blue water Pokémon starter came into the room with a frantic expression.

Mana sat up as she addressed the little one, remembering how this one's personality was the most responsible of the starters she had brought along. "What's the matter? Did one of the others cause an accident?"

" **Mudkip! Mudkip mudkip mud."**

That brought an exasperated expression to the professor's face. "Treecko? What could that lazy butt have gotten himself into?"

The dojo master just sipped his tea calmly as the Mudkip answered, unperturbed by the conversation. **"Mudkip mud mudkip."**

The exasperation faded into blankness. "What?"

" **Mud mudkip. Mudkip kip."**

"But how…. there isn't…?"

Then lightening seemed to strike as she slowly turned her neck to her old acquaintance, still calmly drinking his tea. " _Koshiro_ ….by any chance, there wouldn't happen to be a student of yours I haven't met yet?"

Koshiro put down his drink, his smile saying everything.

* * *

"YOU STUPID LIZARD!"

" **TREE TREECKO!"**

Professor Eclipse Mana sighed at the sight in front of her, Koshiro merely commented on the yelling with a smile. "Well, this is quite the scene."

The two adults were currently in a (not so) secret training spot used Roronoa Zoro, who was currently facing down the Wood Gecko Pokémon. Both human and Pokémon were too engrossed in an argument to notice they had an audience.

Mana shook her head before her expression turned serious. "Indeed. Still…."

The man beside her easily noticed the change, the yelling still going on. "What's the matter?"

"I have never seen this Treecko act like this. Normally, he just seems so bored, it takes prodding to get him to do anything especially something involving humans. The big reason I took him along because I thought getting some exposure to the world outside the island would be good for him. And here he is, getting into an argument with a teenager which is arguably one of the most pointless arguments you can get into."

"Perhaps he doesn't know any better."

"I'm not sure if that's it."

The professor decided enough was enough and cleared her throat.

THAT caught the two's attention, turning their heads towards their audience and rendered them quiet. The Treecko seemed almost embarrassed as it turned away from the green haired human. Zoro, on the other hand, addressed his teacher. "Sensei, is something the matter?"

Koshiro simply smiled. "Oh, I think we should be asking you that question."

Mana glanced back between the back turned Pokémon and the young swordsman. "Might I inquire as to what set off this shouting match?"

Zoro seemed slightly confused by her presence. "Who are you?"

Koshiro spoke up, gesturing to the professor. "Ah Zoro, you weren't around the dojo last night or today so you missed seeing her. This is an old acquaintance of mine from my youth, Professor Eclipse D Mana. She researches things like that little Treecko you've met."

The woman cast an annoyed glance at the older man. "I told you not to mention that."

"I still don't see why you are so insistent on hiding that initial. I have seen quite a few people who bear the initial D with no such caution."

"I have my reasons Koshiro, let's just leave it at that. Anyway, I have yet to get my answer. What happened here?"

Zoro spoke up then, motioning to the green Pokémon. "He just kept watching me for some reason. It was getting creepy so I told him to bug off. That just kind of set him off."

That didn't answer any questions as Mana prodded further. "What has he been watching you do?"

"Train."

"That's it?"

Zoro shrugged his shoulders. "That's it."

That prompted a pondering expression for Mana, glancing around the area. The instruments there were rather impressive for someone of Zoro's age and judging by Koshiro's expression, the boy had been training in this way for some time. She was rather impressed, though she still didn't quite understand everything.

Then she saw Treecko's eyes on Zoro, quickly adverting himself once the professor had seen it, his face blushing. The small glance made it fit together for her as she smiled.

Then she turned back to Zoro. "May I call you Zoro?"

He nodded. "Sure."

"Very well. Zoro, do you know how lazy that Treecko is?"

A skeptical expression graced the young teen's face. "Lazy?"

"VERY lazy. It takes so much prodding to get him to do anything. Whenever he battles though, he always wins very easily. It's made him arrogant. Especially with the other scientists so it kind of extends to the rest of mankind."

The young man's eyes widened as he glanced back at the Pokémon.

Mana continued to speak, herself glancing to the Pokémon. "My guess he saw you training at this level and just couldn't believe that something he looks down upon could have such strength."

Zoro stood there for a few moments before he walked over to the Treecko. "Oi."

That caught the Pokémon's attention as he looked up to Zoro. "You think you're strong?"

The grass type Pokémon only hesitated for a moment before nodding. **"Treecko."**

"Really? Think you can keep up with me?"

That seemed to cause the Treecko to stumble, glancing down at the ground.

"OI."

That caused the Pokémon to look up and see Zoro's serious gaze fixed on him. "Are you going to give up without even trying?"

The Treecko's eyes sharpened as he took a step forward. **"Treecko!"**

That brought a rather unsettling grin to Zoro as he motioned towards his equipment. "Well then, let's see what you can do."

As the young man walked, Treecko followed behind him.

Mana winced. "Oh dear."

Koshiro gave a small laugh. "Well, I doubt that this is something that can be cleared up before you leave tomorrow."

She sighed before she began to smile as she watched the two head to the weights. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. And I guess in this case, I might have been too hasty in this village. I don't suppose you would mind me staying longer?"

He smiled. "I'll make sure to get some good sake for tomorrow night. Zoro will be just as pleased."

That gave Eclipse D Mana a wicked smile as she eyed the green haired kid explaining an exercise to the grass type Pokémon. "Finally, a trainer who understands a good drink."

* * *

 **V.E.: Well, this was shorter, though it feels a lot less personal compared to Ace and Luffy. Still, glad I managed to get this done and over 2000 words is rather respectable for a chapter I think.**

 **Ah Koshiro, I have such mixed feelings for you. On the one hand, you're Zoro's teacher and the closest thing we have for him that could be connected to be a parental figure (at least at this point in the story, a case could also be made for Mihawk). On the other hand, you're kind of a sexist jerk. As a woman, sexism is always a touchy subject for me as well as racism and discrimination against the LGBT community, though that's less personal and more of my desire to treat all people as deserving of respect. And while I can acknowledge there is a significant difference in cultural values when it comes to anime/manga and any other foreign media, that does not make everything all right! I still like One Piece, but that doesn't mean I don't see flaws.I apologize if this feels off tangent, I just feel the need to say that.**

 **Treecko/Grovyle/Sceptile: Sorry guys, if it's any consolation I did think up Scyther and Bisharp while going this over. Maybe if I give them a second Pokémon later on. Honestly, one of the main reasons I choose this one is because of how much Zoro's younger self reminded me of Treecko. Not to mention Treecko comes off as the most nonchalant of the starters (which matches Zoro so much) and one of the moves of its later evolved forms is leaf blade. Add that into a personality of someone who is super lazy and arrogant being inspired by someone's great drive and I think we have something here.**

 **Here's a question for you guys. I didn't plan on shipping the characters in this fic (because Oda will never have that in canon and because you must all have your own opinions on that), but it is okay if I ship their Pokémon instead? Just a thought.**

 **Next up is Usopp.**

 **Please review!**


	5. Usopp

**V.E.: Well, it's been awhile! Yeah I know, not much of an excuse, but I was messing around with tumblr and had my most popular story to get to before I did this one.**

 **Not to mention the fact that this was actually a tough choice. Damn you Sun and Moon for giving a really awesome starter that really would have fit with Usopp's role as sharpshooter (you guys probably know which one I'm talking about).**

 **As for Pokemon shipping, well that may be a while from now. Besides, it would not be the focus of this story. Right now, it's the first seven Strawhats before going on to a couple of other characters.**

 **Now let's get this show on the road!**

 **Estimate Age**

 **Usopp: 10/11**

 **Quote: "All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them."- Galileo Galilei**

* * *

"Ah….another day done."

Comfortably seated in a high up tree, Usopp relaxed after having done his usual rounds for the day. Most of the people who had come to scold him had gone back to their business and the otherwise boring little island had gotten a little bit of excitement to shake things up. Now he could take things easy.

The only problem now is that there wasn't anything else for Usopp to do for the day. Well, he was mostly fine with that, but sometimes the boy would feel a bit lonely. He didn't really have any friends in the village he could talk to and there was only so many times you could practice sharpshooting alone without anyone to cheer on your hits.

Though come to think of it, wasn't there a girl his age in that big fancy mansion not too far from the village? He wondered what she was up to…..

"Well, that was interesting."

The sudden unfamiliar voice stopped his thoughts dead as the young boy glanced down to the bottom of the tree. Standing there, was an unfamiliar woman in a lab coat (like the picture of a scientist Usopp had seen in book) with a pleasant smile on her face.

She waved at him, her expression not at all concerned with how the young boy had seemed to freeze. "Hello!"

"AHH!"

The unexpected polite greeting had Usopp lose his balance in the tree which led to his less than gracious fall and landing. Luckily, he could feel nothing broken as began to move on the ground, though it still hurt. "Oww….."

The woman in the white coat seemed to 'tsk.' "Wow, hard to believe you'd be about the same age as that other kid. Still, I suppose that is a much more normal response to a stranger startling you…"

The small kid sharply turned his head towards the woman. "Wha..what do you want?!"

She simply smiled mysteriously. "Oh, I'm just a traveler passing through the East Blue. Actually, I wasn't even expecting to stop by this island, but my Charizard needed some rest so I landed here."

Usopp stared at the woman uncomprehendingly. "Land? Charizerd?"

The woman's brown eyes glinted with steel as she went to correct him. " _Charizard_ , a Pokémon. Though given this the East Blue, I suppose you don't know much about them. It's basically short for Pocket Monsters which ties into a very long complicated history that even scholars of Ohara weren't able to put together. Not that they didn't try…."

The young boy questioned softly. "Pokémon?"

The young woman pointed off to the side. "Yep. See?"

He followed where she was pointing, not ten feet away slumbering without a care in the world was a large orangish dragon like creature.

The sight of which rendered the young boy speechless for almost a full minute, as if his brain was having trouble processing something that should obviously NOT BE THERE.

Which led the young boy to jump nearly a foot off the ground and start running away as fast as the wind. "DRAGON!"

At least, he would be running if the scientist lady wasn't holding him in midair with one hand. "Actually, no. Charizard is not a dragon type Pokémon, though he certainly looks more like one than the Aloalan Exeggutor."

She noticed the young boy was still trying to escape as quick as he could and sighed. "Look kid, I understand what you're feeling, but I trained that Charizard pretty well. He's not going to hurt anyone, I swear. Now, if I let you down, will you promise to calm down and not run away?"

Usopp looked up at the strange grown up skeptically. "You promise?"

"I promise."

The young boy considered her words before nodding. She seemed sincere enough.

The woman slowly lowered him to the ground until it seemed the boy with the long nose was seated comfortably. The young boy made a side glance towards the dragon like creature and still seemed nervous, but wasn't looking to run as long as it looked to be safely sleeping.

She smiled down at him in amusement. "Anyway, if you're going to end up a pirate, you're going to facing a lot more serious threats than a sleeping tamed Chairzard."

Usopp looked at her with an expression of pure shock. "Wha….how…you?!"

"I've heard quite a bit around the village about you. Or have I got a different 'Captain Usopp?'"

Still taken aback, Usopp puffed his small chest out as he put on his most confidant smile. "Well…of course you do! I'm Captain Usopp, captain and commander of the Usopp Pirates, 80 million men strong!"

The young woman leaned close, a sly knowing smile on her face. "Oh, is that so?"

Usopp faltered, trapped in the gaze of someone who seemed to see through him as clear as glass. "Ah… _I mean_ …not exactly….no."

"That's what I thought."

Usopp sighed, disappointed at being unable to fool her. Then again, most people caught onto his lies pretty easily. Still, all that meant is that he had to get better at it!

The young boy would have mused further on it had he not noticed that the woman, who still had yet to introduce herself, was staring at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

Uncertainly, the boy asked. "Umm….do you want something with me Miss….?"

That seemed to snap the woman out of her thoughts as she bowed her head in apology. "Oh, sorry. I'm Professor Eclipse Mana, I'm currently traveling the islands of the East Blue. Forgive me for being so up front, but if you are going to set out to sea someday I might be able to give you something that could help."

Usopp looked at the woman with a skeptical gaze. "And I should trust a gift from a strange lady with a dragon because….?"

SMACK!

The young boy covered the part of his head where the woman had smacked, producing a noticeable bump. "OWW!"

"I told you, Charizard is NOT a Dragon or a Dragon type Pokémon. You're going to need to learn to keep types straight if you accept my offer."

"And why would I do that?"

Professor Mana stared down at the boy seriously. "Do you really think you are capable of matching the fiercest pirates and marines out there just by yourself?"

The shot the young boy down quickly, knowing full well he couldn't.

"It's true you're just ordinary human being compared to monsters like those, but that doesn't mean you're incapable of facing them."

Usopp looked up the at the professor who was smiling down at them. "If you can't fight someone with strength, you fight them with smarts. And you do that by making them run in circles until you figure out their weak point. I'd say that's pretty good advice for a sniper, wouldn't you think."

The young boy felt like bolting form this woman as fast as he could, her knowledge was too scary. "How did you know…..?"

"Villagers, probably more the gossipy ones I've come across and that's saying something. So, will you allow me to give you an edge?"

The young man considered it for a few seconds before asking. "Why are you offering this to me?"

Mana's expression was that of slight surprise, as she seemed to consider how best to answer for about a minute before doing so. "To be honest, I'm not completely sure. By all logic, you are the last type of kid I should be giving a Pokémon too. And yet…. I sense something different about you. You have potential beneath the surface, if nothing else. And honestly, I've got a better feeling about you than some of the marines I've had to match for. Now, what is your answer?"

The young boy gulped, his eyes glancing off towards the still sleeping Charizard (which seemed capable of sleeping through an earthquake). "Wait, by Pokémon, you mean…."

"Oh no, NO. The one I would give you would be much smaller and given your personality, you're not really suited for a fire type."

"Oh….okay."

"Not to say it will stay small, but I really can't give you any more unless you agree to my offer. Last chance, what's your answer?"

Usopp considered it before coming to a decision, gulping at what was going to follow. "Alright, as long as you're sure it won't eat me…."

That got the professor to laugh as she pulled out a strange red and white ball from her pocket. "Oh, believe me, eating you is the farthest thing THIS one is going to do."

She threw the ball up into the air, the strange red and white thing opening and releasing some form of energy. Heading towards the ground, the energy began to take a strange shape until it finally solidified and colored in. The small creature that stood there in the end didn't so much horrify Usopp as surprise him (a rather strange change of pace).

The small little monster in front of him was not as easily identifiable to any creature Usopp had seen or heard about. It was slightly bigger than the average dog, but it wasn't as big as the thing still slumbering not too far away. It had four legs with blue green skin and darker green patches. It had sharp claws on its feet and noticeable pointed teeth from its jaw near red eyes. But the most noticeable thing about the strange creature was the giant green plant bulb on its back.

And the gaze it was directing at Usopp eerily matched the surprise and curiosity in the boy as it tilted its head. **"Bulba?"**

He echoed the word back in confusion. "Bulba?"

"It's short for Bulbasaur, the name of this type of Pokémon. It a Grass/Poison type so there's a lot versatility with this one. It's strong against several different types such as Fighting, Water, and Electric."

The Bulbasuar took a few steps closer to Usopp, a vine coming out near Usopp's face. Just the as the young boy was about to shriek with his eyes fully closed, the little vine simply booped the tip of his rather long nose.

He opened his eyes slowly to see the little green Pokémon looking up at him with a smile. It slowly made its way over to Usopp, climbing into the boy's lap and settling in comfortably.

Mana smiled sweetly at the sight. "I'd say he likes you, he 'boops' people he takes a shine too. Really likes noses for some reason. He's also very patient, perfect for a starter and especially for someone who isn't the bravest soul."

Usopp looked back up the lady, patting the Bulbasaur on the head and feeling oddly at piece with the strange little monster. "Starter?"

"And that is part of the lessons I'll be giving you for the next few days. Well, get ready for one of the craziest stories you'll probably hear outside of the Grand Line, this is going to take a while."

* * *

 **V.E.: SHORT! MERCIFULLY SHORT!**

 **Sorry if it's disappointing. I just saw Usopp as having the least complicated and detailed scenario getting a Pokémon. To be fair, Sanji and Nami will have much more detailed chapters.**

 **Bulbasaur/Ivysaur/Venusaur: Yeah, I was torn between this and the Rowlett line. But to be honest, I felt like Usopp's connection to plants was a tad stronger in my mind. Plus, it kind of helps for him to have solid support like this little guy. I feel like Grass/Poison is a good mix for Usopp. Not to mention I had an image of him in my mind visiting Kaya with Bulbasaur lifting up a flower as a present for her (which may tie into a Pokémon SHE may get later on).**

 **Next up, Sanji! Which considering the Professor has connections to a variety of different scientists, may bring up things for Sanji he would rather stay buried. No more spoilers than that.**

 **Please review! Next up is Persona for me and then I'll be back.**


	6. Sanji

**V.E.: Ah the wonders of uncertainty and soul crushing depression…..okay, my situation hasn't been that bad, but I haven't been in the best mood to write these days. What I can say? To procrastinate is human.**

 **Still, it'll be nice once I get the majority of the Straw Hats done so I can move onto….** _ **other**_ **characters. I'm not sure whether anyone will really be reading this given how long it has been since I updated, but I sure hope there are people reading.**

 **Sanji: 12/13 years old**

 **Now, let's get this chapter on the road!**

 **Quote:** " **Cooking is about passion, so it may look slightly temperamental in a way that it's too assertive to the naked eye."- Gordon Ramsay**

* * *

Having traveled the world and tasted some of the finest cuisine the Blues and the Grand Line had to offer, Mana had to admit that the Baratie was up there with some of the best.

Though it did have its downsides as being a restaurant completely at sea left you vulnerable to attacks by pirates, which the travelling professor could see had affected the employees particularly the wait staff as they seemed to be very jittery and always on the lookout for possible concealed weapons. But this was of no concern to Mana as she sampled the last bits of an absolutely divine crème brulee.

 _Nothing could be better than this…._

Unfortuantely, the professor's bliss couldn't last as someone cleared his throat right behind her. "Ah hem!"

The woman slowly turned around, swallowing what was in her mouth and mentally preparing herself for whatever wanted her attention.

The person in question seemed to be the head chef and owner, given the rather impressive chef's hat, though the really noticeable thing about the man was his rather well-groomed blonder mustache and the wooden leg along with the gleam in his sharp eyes that she recognized more on pirates than she did on chefs. (Then again it was possible he was, but Mana couldn't remember every bounty that the Marines sent her, that was Ruri's job.)

She put her eating utensils down, speaking in a deceptively calm voice. "Just to be clear, I have more than enough money to pay for this."

The man grunted, almost amused by such a sentiment as he spoke. "Please, spare me your spiel. I get all sorts of characters that come here, but you sure stick out."

She smiled uneasily (hoping that this wouldn't come down to her getting out her Pokémon and burning this spectacular restaurant to ashes). "I hope that's in a good way."

The man simply stared her down for a couple of moments before the conversation resumed. "Anyway, you seemed to be enjoying yourself."

Mana smiled, a little more at ease with the change in subject. "Why wouldn't I be? This is probably the best crème brulee I've ever had and I've dined at restaurants all over the Blues as well as the Grand Line. I suppose I should give my compliments to the chef, Mister….?"

The man shook his head though his face seemed to twitch like he wanted to smile at the praise. "It's Zeff. And I'm not the one that made that."

"Oh, well can I at least thank the person who did?"

Zeff considered it for a moment before he turned to yell at someone off to side. "OI, Brat!"

His summons were soon heeded as a blonde young man walked over with a rather irritated expression. Judging by the chef uniform, it was very clear that he was an employee though he seemed to be a little young. But there were two other things that had caught Mana's attention. The first was the curry eyebrow above the eye his hair didn't cover. She had seen many strange things during her travels and while those things were nowhere near as tame as this, it still struck her as something unusual for some reason. _Almost like the swirls on a Devil Fruit._

The second thing about him was that he vaguely reminded her of something….

Her thoughts were interrupted by the unnamed boy's words. "What do you want, you shitty old geezer?!"

Zeff glowered at the boy, though his manner didn't seem entirely unkind to the Mana. "What have I said about calling me that outside of the kitchen?! Anyway, you have someone who wants to thank you for their food."

The young man turned to see Mana (whose expression didn't betray any surprise at the information), to which his eyes seemed to turn into hearts and his expression became utterly besotted. "Oh wow, beautiful lady!"

WHACK!

Zeff sighed as the blonde boy was on the ground, in pain from being kicked there by the older man's wooden plank. The older man turned towards the traveling professor to apologize. "I'm sorry, this brat's going through his girl crazy phase. At least, I'm hoping it's a phase…."

She waved him off. "It's alright, he's not the first and at least he seems to be honest about it. I take it he's your charge?"

The chef nodded, his eyes narrowed at her in focus. "Yeah. You know, you're the first person to not assume or ask if he's my son."

She simply smiled. "Just a hunch."

The young man finally got to his feet, brushing himself off and parting his hair in a manner that was so utterly familiar that Mana spoke without really thinking about it. "Sola?"

The reaction that followed was something the professor didn't expect as the young chef violently flinched, looking at her like he was assessing all his options and was preparing to run. On the other side of it, Zeff's gaze went from her to the young man, piecing together a puzzle only he was aware of.

Realizing that pursuing that line of thought wouldn't give her anything (if anything it would probably make things worse), Mana broke the awkward silence. "Oh, forgive me. You remind me of someone I knew a very long time ago, someone whose spouse I have a somewhat... _strained_ relationship with. Haven't spoken to that guy in...wait, I'm getting off topic. Sorry, I don't even know why I said that. What's your name?"

The young man still seemed a little rattled by the name, but he managed to look calm as he replied. "Sanji."

"Well Sanji, thank you for making this lovely crème brulee. You have a lot of talent for one so young."

And that was all it took for the love-struck expression to come back. "It was my pleasure."

Zeff looked as if he was too tired to kick the kid twice in ten minutes, but his eyes were still sharp as he observed them.

Mana titled her head in interest as she went on. "So, I suppose you really like being a chef. It's rather interesting to see someone being able to fulfill their dream at such a young age."

Sanji shook his head, quickly correcting her. "Oh, I love being a chef, but it's not my dream!"

"Really, then what is?"

"Miss, have you ever heard of the All Blue?"

She smiled at the building enthusiasm in the young man's voice. "Professor Eclipse Mana and yes I am well aware of the tales of the All Blue."

While the older man seemed to recognize her name, Sanji merely went on. "It's every chef's dream to find that sea and someday I will find it."

Mana smiled at the passion in the young man's voice. Fire, this boy was as passionate as Ace was, but there were some distinct differences between the two. Ace was very rough around the edges in manners, but Sanji's stance made it clear he had been taught manners and decided when and where he would use them. Also whereas Ace would dig in his heels if he was facing down an impossible task, this one seemed more likely to think his way out of a situation.

There was something else that caught her attention so she decided to inquire after it. "Well, I suppose if you plan on looking for that you're going to need to learn how to fight. This world is too dangerous for people to go around it without at least some knowledge of self-defense."

Sanji looked ready to roll his eyes. "You don't need to tell me that. That's why I've been training with the old man with my kicks, I can't risk my hands."

"Spoken like a true a chef." And that just made her decision.

She reached into her bag for two things. The first was the money for the bill which she placed on the table. The second took a little while longer as she placed a regular white and red Poke Ball on the table which Sanji looked at questioningly while Zeff seemed to realize what she was doing. "Hey wait, are you….?"

She simply smiled as she then offered the Poke Ball to Sanji. "And in return, let me give you something in both thanks for the food and a bit of help for achieving your dream. Push the button."

Sanji took the ball, observing it curiously before turning to Zeff. The older man smiled and nodded. He then pushed the button and released the Pokémon inside.

What appeared before him was a small chick like creature that was mainly orange with downy yellow feathers. With a light brown beak and legs, an orange and yellow crest on his head that resembled a flame, a black speck on it's rear, and black beady eyes that looked up at Sanji questioningly. **"Torchic?"**

"A chicken?"

That unfortunately was the wrong thing to say, as the Fire Pokémon seemed to gain a tic mark as it jumped onto the boy and started to peck him mercilessly. **"Tor….Chic! Chic! Chic!"**

"OW! OW! OW!"

Zeff merely chuckled at the sight of Sanji as Mana turned to him. "You don't want me to call him off?"

"Well, if he's going to train with it, he's going to at least need to learn a little pain tolerance. Care for some wine in exchange for some information?"

She raised her glass, the grunts of pain still going on in the background. "As long as you got something good and I'm coherent, I'll keep talking."

* * *

 **V.E.: (Sighs) Well, at least I managed to get something done, but honestly, I'm not sure if anything I write is going to top Luffy's chapter. I'm just don't want to describe places almost all of One Piece fans are very familiar with.**

 **Now Mana and Judge Vinsmoke have a history. Spoilers: it's not a positive one and it will come up again.**

 **Torchic/Combusken/Blaziken: I am sure I surprised no one with this choice.**

 **Next up, Nami who will definitely have a longer chapter than this one.**

 **Please remember to review and I will see you next time!**


	7. Nami

**V.E.: Okay, it seems like I'm getting back into the writing grove again. Sorry to you all, I just really haven't felt like writing a lot and then when I did want to write I had technical issues. Go figure. If it's any consolation, you guys are not the only ones who have been waiting on an update.**

 **Anyway, I've been wanting to do Nami since I started, particularly because the Pokémon that I have chosen is one that is near and dear to my heart. (One of these days I'm going to have to make one of those Favorite Pokémon lists people keep doing.) That and Nami is a very intriguing character.**

 **Either way, I hope I still have readers for this thing. So, let's get this started.**

 **Nami: 11/12 years old**

 **Quote: "Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough."- Og Mandino**

* * *

Anyone who knew Professor Eclipse D Mana (and they'd have to know her _very_ well to know about that little initial) knew that the woman had three great loves in her life. Whether this would be said to her teasingly or remarking on her singlehood status (which was none of their business), those three loves of hers were very apparent in her life.

1\. Pokémon

2\. Photography (Preferable of Pokémon)

3\. Alcohol

As all her subordinates and several of her contacts in the navy could tell you, the female professor was utterly capable of outlasting the alcoholic tolerance of men twice her size. How she did this, no one could say though in a world of Devil Fruits, the Grand Line, and a wide variety of creatures with some that resemble humans so strongly, perhaps the books on what was thought to be physically impossible should have been thrown out a long time ago.

Regardless, of those three loves, the third was the hardest to consistently satisfy. Given that she lived and worked on an island that was dedicated mainly to research and was kept a well-guarded secret to most of the world, luxury items like high quality spirits and sweets were harder to obtain than the creatures that were always there or materials that fell under research materials. So, whenever Mana did leave the island, she would use it as a chance to indulge herself in her third great vice.

Which was why her patience with Cocoyashi Village was slowly dwindling into the void. "Honestly, how hard is it to find the tavern in a backwater village in the East Blue?!"

Her snappiness could perhaps be forgiven as she had just finished taking care of all the starters she still had with her (and that little Totodile was quite spirited) though it was perhaps rude to disparage a town she had never set foot in before now. Mana had usually been very good at giving people the benefit of the doubt, her good many acquaintances on the other side of the law would be proof of that.

But the more she saw of this little village, that peevishness soon turned to unsettlement. There was barely anyone outside: no laughing children, no gossiping house wives, no old geezers complaining about the 'ungratefulness' of the younger generation. This stillness, this _silence_ , felt unnatural.

The only thing she could see moving was the breeze on the trees. _I've seen more things alive in a graveyard and that's not counting Ghost Pokémon._

Then her eyes found something that made her genuinely stop and duck out of reflex. She peered out ever so slightly, making sure she really did see it.

Fishmen, and if their attire and weaponry they were touting as they came out of some shop with too wide smiles and smug laughter were genuine, they were Fishmen Pirates.

Mana felt her urge for alcohol be replaced by an urge to strangle something. _What in the world are Fishmen Pirates doing in the East Blue? I thought that Jimbei guy guaranteed that none of them would cause humans any more trouble. Moreover, how did the idiotic Marine in charge of this sector miss something like this?!_

That led to a pained grimace making its way onto her face. _Great, now I got to fill out some paperwork to report this. Damn it, I help the Marines enough as it is, I shouldn't have to do their damn job for them! It's bad enough they keep on demanding more powerful Pokémon when they don't realize these creatures are highly intelligent and won't just listen to anyone's orders! And don't get me started on those interns! Nine times out of ten they're spies with no actual knowledge of Pokémon at all! Thank the heavens above that Ruri….._

" **Persian** **!"**

The very catlike sound jolted the Professor out of her mind rant, utterly confused. For a second or two, she wondered if she half imagined it before she felt something furry rubbing against her legs.

She looked down to find a Persian looking up at her. It was a regular type Persian, with a lean body with tan fur, black tipped ears, and red eyes to match the red jewel on its forehead. It had a rather smug yet delighted expression.

The woman crouched down to get a better look, wondering at this new mystery. "Well hello there, what are you doing here? I don't think there are any marines with retired Pokémon living nearby." (It was quite common for when a Pokémon could no longer serve on a Marine ship that their partner would want to take them home and let them enjoy their golden years in peace rather than send them back to Avalon Isle. Apparently, many of them became beloved family pets, accepted as strange foreign but otherwise unremarkable animals for those not in the know.)

A cursory glance was enough to tell her about this Classy Cat Pokémon, noticing some rather interesting scars. "Well you are getting on in years, but nowhere near the point of the retirement. Though, I wonder how you got some of these…."

"Felix! There you are!"

Both professor and Pokémon turned to find an orange haired preteen girl coming at them with an exasperated expression on her face. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in! Don't think I won't cover for you with Nojiko!'

The Persian seemed to give a little 'Who? _Moi_?' expression to the young girl before the girl seemed to realize that there was someone else there. "Oh, I'm sorry. I hope he wasn't bothering you. This old cat just doesn't know when to not poke his nose into other people's business."

Mana smiled in an easy going way. "Oh, don't worry. I'm quite accustomed to Persians acting like little shits. Very common in Pokémon with feline characteristics."

The orange haired girl's eyes widened at the terms the stranger had used. "How do you know….?"

The professor's smile then turned to reassuring. "Mind if we talk back at your place? I'd like to give this one a thorough check up."

* * *

"Oh I see, so your mother was a marine."

The orange haired seated on a chair near where Mana was working,who the older woman now knew as Nami, nodded; observing as the professor finished wrapping a bandage around the Persian front right paw on a nice bed with fresh sheets. The quaint little farm house on the tangerine farm felt much more like what she had expected of a small island village, very warm and well lived in. It looked very comfortable for two young women though given the well polished picture frame of a woman with magenta hair with two young girls it was very clear that these inhabitants still missed their late mother.

Nami spoke then, still watching Mana work. "Bellemere left the Marines to raise me and Nojiko. Felix had been with her for a few years by then and where she went, he would go. Nojiko said that he... _changed_ when I was about three or so."

Mana smiled, always touched to hear how Pokémon would bond with their Marines even if the endings weren't particularly happy. "He evolved, you mean. Hmm...can't really recall the name Bellemere, but Meowth is a rather common Pokémon I give out. They're apparently a very good midpoint between a ship's cat and attack cat. Though, some of these scars look more recent."

The young girl averted looking in the Professor's eyes at that. "Yeah, Felix likes going with me when I leave the island. I think it's half to keep an eye on me, half to feel like he's on adventures again. But he's starting to slow down a bit."

"You go off the island frequently at your age? What do you do?"

That seemed to be a touchy subject, Nami's hands clenched as the Persian gave a warning stare at the Professor before shaking his head.

The older woman considered this all in silence before sighing and giving the feline Pokémon a scratch behind the ears. "Alright, keep your secrets. Though are you sure that you don't need..."

Nami cut her off curtly. "I can handle it. Really."

Before Mana could pursue the subject any further, the door swung open to reveal a teenage girl (who looked to be a few years older than Nami herself) with light blue hair and some rather impressive tattoos on her right arm and chest coming in with a basket of tangerines. "There you are, Nami! I heard you were back in town, but I couldn't find you."

Felix the Persian jumped up at the sight of the human, rubbing her legs and purring as Nami gestured to Professor Eclipse D. Mana. "Well, I was in town for a little while, but then Felix ran off and found her. Apparently, she specializes in...whatever Felix is."

Nojiko gazed at the woman skeptically, placing the basket of fruit on the table. "Really? Bellemere said that people from where Felix is from usually don't leave that Isle under penalty of death by Marine firing squad."

The brown haired woman felt a smile crack at that before turning back to Nami. "Well, for most of the inhabitants. Let's just say I'm pretty high up on the chain of command that the World Government trusts me to be able to go off by myself and come back. Anyway, I've checked him over and Felix is mostly healthy though you are right about him slowing down. I would suggest on not taking him with you on anymore adventures."

Felix did not seem to like that advice. **"PERSIAN."**

Nami got up at that, taking a few steps before crouching down to scratch the Classy Cat Pokémon behind the ears to placate him. "Oh come on, you know you couldn't keep up with me forever. And I know very well you've always liked Nojiko better than me."

Nojiko smiled as she strutted over in a sultry manner as Felix went back to rubbing the older girl's legs. "Well, considering I'm the one who feeds him, grooms him, know when to give him space, and didn't try to pit him against the neighborhood dogs as a distraction to steal sweets."

"I WAS FIVE!"

The professor held back a chuckle as she interrupted the two. "Umm, excuse me. Do you think perhaps this little guy would feel better if you weren't going alone doing...whatever is you do off the island? Or a housemate?"

That seemed to throw the sisters for a loop, but Felix seemed to perk up at that. **"Persian!"**

Nojiko and Nami blinked warily at the Pokémon's exuberant response, with the later to answer her question. "Well, I guess so, but I don't understand what you're getting at."

The oldr woman smiled, "What I mean is whether Felix would mind you having your own Pokémon partner. That is, if you're interested."

Nami's brown eyes seemed to gleam at the prospect. "Really?"

Nojiko's eyes, on the other hand, sharpened in suspicion. "What's the catch?"

Mana's eyes twinkled in good nature, holding up a rather sizable wad of cash she dug out of her lab coat's pocket. "Well, if putting me up for a few days so I can teach Nami the ropes as well as providing some decent alcohol is a deal breaker, you can throw me out right now. Just to be clear, I can reimburse you for..."

The money was quickly snatched away as Nami's eyes almost seemed to become Berri signs. "Make yourself at home!"

Her older sister just sighed as Felix head-butted her leg in affection.

Nami didn't pay them much attention, putting the money away as she asked the woman. "So, where is it?"

The older woman held up her hand to calm her down. "Slow down, first I need to figure out what would suit you. Now then, what is your dream?"

The girl's head titled in confusion. "My dream?"

"You know, what's the goal you're pursuing right now or want to pursue someday? Will it take you out into the world?"

Nami seemed to turn it over in her mind for about a minute or two before answering quietly. "Well, before things went crazy I wanted to draw a map of the world..."

Mana's eyes widened in surprise. "Well, that's one I hadn't heard before and I deal with some pretty ambitious dreams with this. You any good at drawing?"

The orange haired girl nodded, her eyes misting in memory. "Very good. Bellemere said that no one would believe that a little girl drew that good of a map all by herself. I wanted to be a navigator so I'd be able to see it all and make that map. But then..."

She fell silent then, both Nojiko and Felix looking at their young charge worriedly.

Mana simply decided it was to best steer away from whatever place this was steering towards and changed the subject. "Well, that's high praise coming from a former Marine. In terms of navigation, how good are you at reading the weather?"

Nojiko answered before her sister could, in a rather teasing tone. "Scary good. She can predict a change in the winds practically seconds before it happens. One of the reasons she's called a witch."

Nami's face flushed in embarrassment, the darkness from earlier dissipating. "Nojiko!"

The professor watched the siblings go into a little teasing squabble. _Well, this isn't what I was expecting. Still, that's a very keen sense of intuition to know the weather like that. Perhaps some latent psychic abilities..._

She then took the time to look over her newest client one last time. Nami was a very bright, with a fire inside that she would do anything to achieve no matter what she had to go through. And once she devoted herself to something, it seemed that nothing could turn her away from it. Rather like Luffy.

But at the same time, she was very different from Luffy. This girl knew that things were not going to be easy, that there was darkness in this world she simply couldn't plow her way through. Things could change as quickly as the weather and she had to be ready and willing to adapt herself to it.

 _'Witch', huh?_ And then Mana knew exactly what to give her.

She went into her bag, cheerfully ignoring the sister's squabbling as she took out one of her Poke Balls. She pressed the button, the light of which stopped the sisters as th light began to take form.

Soon, the form of a foxlike creature appeared with pale yellow fur that was longer on its haunches, tufts of orange fur coming out of its large ears with a similar orange tip on its tail, and a fluffy white muzzle near a pointed black nose and sharp orange eyes. It blinked a few times before it turned towards the professor. **"Fennekin?"**

Mana smiled, a motioned towards the orange haired girl.

The Fennekin took a few steps toward Nami, the girl kneeling down to get a closer look at the Pokémon. Then the Fox Pokémon smiled, jumping up to lick the young girl. **"Fennekin!"**

As Nami broke out into a smile and scratched the little fire starter, Felix started to sniff the little one before nodding in approval. **"Persian!"**

Fennekin sniffed its new Pokémon friend, seeming to be just happy with him, before its nose went up in the air to sniff something else. After a few meoments of exploring the new area with its nose, the Fennekin seemed to smile as it jumped onto the table with the basket of tangerines on it. **"Fenne!"**

Both Nojiko and Nami were panicking as the foxlike being went to the basket, the later going over to get her Pokémon away from their produc. "Oh no, no, no, no! We do not eat those!"

But Mana just laughed, startling Nami as the professor watched Fennekin sniff out its prize. "Oh, don't worry. She's not going for the fruit."

About half a minute later, the female Pokémon lit up as it dug its head into the basket and pulled out a nice sized twig. It curled up on the table and began to gnaw at it with great vigor.

Neither of the girls could believe their eyes, Nojiko voicing their shared thought as Felix also hopped on the table and settled down right next to his new housemate. "It just ignored the tangerines."

The brown haired woman nodded. "Fennekins don't really snack, rather they like to chew on twigs. They can also be a tad temperamental, this little girl is especially spirited, but they'll do their best for their trainer."

Nami nodded, Nojiko seeming to be relieved that said activity would be able to be readily provided for given their immense pile of twigs in the back. "Okay. Any tricks to get her to listen better?"

"We can start on that tomorrow. For now, I could use a drink. After all, I did pay for it..."

Nami's eyes sparkled at the mention of said money in her pocket. "I'll go get you a glass, Big Sis!"

Mana made herself at home on the chair, giving both Pokemon a scratch behind their ears. She couldn't wait to get a picture of the four when this was all over. "Professor is fine, dear."

* * *

 **Finally, done! I wasn't kidding about those technical issues. My computer literally glitches up on me right as I was done writing the first part of this. Luckily, I was able to save it to an email and upload to Fan Fiction Net to finish the rest of the work.**

 **Fennekin/Braixen/Delphox: For the record, I did consider Primarina, but I have such a special place in my heart for Fennekin as it was my first starter. Yeah, I'm that much of a casual. Anyway, part of the choice did come from the whole mage thing this line has and Nami's title as a weather with. But another thing that interested me with this is her parallel to Luffy. In some ways, Nami can come off as just as much the protagonist of the series as Luffy. Heck in some cases, she is more of the protagonist than Luffy at times like during the Gold movie.**

 **Thanks to LawlessWriter who gave me the idea of giving Bellemere a Pokémon of her own that Nami might have used. Ship cats were a thing as rats were just as much problems on sea as they were on land and they could often detect changes in the weather. I was looking over a list of notable ship cats on Wikipedia and the name Felix jumped out at me. Seemed right to give him the name 'Lucky.'**

 **And don't worry, next two Straw Hats won't get starters.**

 **Well, I'm not sure when I'll be updating as school work has my priority right now, but I promise I'll try to squeeze some in.**

 **Please review and I hope to see you soon.**


	8. Chopper

**V.E.: I know by the schedule I should be doing Paradox, but streaming video stuff on my new computer can be a little dicey. Either way, at least I know what Pokémon I'm doing for this one.**

 **After this chapter we're heading back to the Island for one more future Strawhat and then we'll do some interesting picks. Hopefully, people are still reading this story. Hopefully.**

 **Chopper: 9 years old (Shortly after he got taken in by Kureha)**

 **Quote: "Healing takes courage, and we all have courage, even if we have to dig a little to find it."- Tori Amos**

* * *

Professor Eclipse D. Mana raised her glass with the grandest smile on her face. "Kureha, have I ever said how you're my favorite person on Drum Island?"

The old woman cackled heartily as she poured the good professor a drink. "That's funny, I'm pretty sure I'm the only person you know on Drum Island."

Mana nodded, holding the drink to herself as she continued with their conversation. "True enough. At the very least, I can count on you to have the best alcohol on the Island so long as I can pay for it. And I'd say my information more than covers it."

Doctorine sighed at that but still smiled, setting her choice alcohol to the side. Even in the comfort of the woman's home (by no means a castle, but still rather comfortable), the winds of change from outside the island, outside the Grand Line, affected her. "So, things are finally starting to move."

"Yes, though the real deal probably won't happen for another couple of years. This generation is the one that will turn everything upside down and those that look down from the throne on high can't stop it. No one can."

That got Kureha's smile to look almost demented. "Of course they can't. That Will will always live."

Mana's expression contained a small bit of surprise as she eyed her old friend (even that phrase sounded like it didn't fully describe what the two were). "You don't sound surprised."

"Let's just say that I had a feeling, nothing more. Anyway, it's unfortunate, but I doubt that that change will come in time to save this land."

The professor's look darkened as her hand gripped tightly around the glass she was holding. "I know. I wish I could do something, but you know how the system works. As long as the Heavenly Tribute to the Celestial Dragons is paid, the World Government doesn't care what a ruler does to their own country. And since Drum Island doesn't want to reach out to the Revolutionaries…."

Kureha nodded knowingly, her expression pensive. "We're pretty much screwed. It's a shame, the late king was a very good man. I have to wonder how in the world how Wapol could be his son."

Mana shrugged, taking a sip of her drink. "Well, you know what they say, 'Wise men die and are not always succeeded by equally wise men.' Although, I guess in this context we would replace it with 'good kings.'"

"Too true. Speaking of authority, how's the Isle getting on?"

The brown haired woman heaved a great sigh. "Half the time I'm holding Ruri back, the other half she's holding me back. I swear, the Government keeps asking for more and more for the sake of ' keeping the peace.' The only good thing I have right now is that none of the regular Celestial Dragons know about Pokémon because the moment one sees an interesting Pokémon…"

Kureha's face grew somber. "Same story, different tune. You know, I wonder if this new wind will come in time to save you and the Isle."

"Oh, I know it won't, but that's a decision that was made when that bastard Alden convinced Professor Magnolia to ally with the World Government. The most I can do is ensure that our research will be passed on and the Pokémon will be safe."

The old doctor spat, a trace of disgust on her wrinkled face. "May that fool burn whatever hell the gods put him. Just a shame that his sins have to affect others who didn't consent to burn with him."

Mana smiled with a wince before her expression became irritated. "Does any child ask for their father's sins? I swear this is like the last discussion I had with Mewtwo. I can handle it for now Kureha. Speaking of which, I suppose I should I pay a visit to my old colleague in the North Blue sometime soon."

Kureha smiled in amusement. "Now, now dear. I know you and Judge have never seen eye to eye, but try not to commit regicide. It'd be hard to accomplish of those goals of yours from Impel Down."

"I'll be civil if he will. That's all I can promise."

"Well, keep it to words and not fists, that's all I can say."

"Or Pokémon, I know." The professor's head nodded behind her, a small brown faces with antlers poking out from behind a piece of furniture. "Well, now that we've finished with the pleasantries, aren't you going to introduce me to your new apprentice?"

The small brown creature froze at the young woman's words.

Kureha seemed to sigh greatly, but the hint of amusement in her smile told a completely different. "Yeah, I suppose we were going to have to get to that part. Chopper, come introduce yourself! I swear that she's seen a lot weirder stuff than you."

The blue nosed reindeer slowly edged out of his hiding place until he was out in the open and cautiously made his way to the professor's side. "Hello….Ma'am."

Mana let out a small laugh as she smiled at him reassuringly. "Oh please, if you're Kureha's apprentice, then there's no reason to stand on ceremony. I'm Professor Eclipse Mana, Head Researcher at Avalon Isle. Now, who may I ask are you?"

"I'm…Tony Tony Chopper."

The young woman nodded pleasantly. "I see, a pleasure to meet you Chopper, I hope the old hag here hasn't given you too much trouble."

The old woman got really irritated at that last part. "Oi, remember who you depend on for your alcohol Missie."

Chopper seemed to blink a couple of time before he spoke again. "I don't….upset you? Anger you? Scare….you?"

"I see study all sorts of unusual creatures. Can you breath fire?"

That seemed to take him aback. "Umm, no."

"Can you cause earthquakes?"

"No."

"Can you spew poison from your body, infecting those around you unconsciously?"

"NO!"

Mana simply leaned back into her chair, a reassuring smile gracing her face. "Then by comparison to many of the other monsters I study, you aren't all that dangerous and those are some of the tamer powers I've seen."

Chopper seemed taken aback before slightly relaxing at the woman's open reassurance.

The professor then cocked her head in interest as she gazed at the mammal. "Though I do have to acknowledge a talking reindeer isn't most people's normal. Might I ask how that happened?"

"I ate a strange fruit a long time ago. Doctor…thought it was a Devil Fruit."

The brown haired woman nodded, having heard full well about Dr. Hiruluk from Kureha. "A Devil Fruit that would allow an animal to gain human speech and a human form…..and it gets eaten by an animal. Go figure."

Chopper nodded before asking his own question. "Ummm, so what kind of monsters do you research?"

Mana smiled at the mention of her life's work. "It's easier to show than to explain. Let's just say the creatures I study have many different types of powers that can be used for a variety of things. There are even Pokémon that are specifically geared towards healing other Pokémon."

The blue nosed reindeer's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes and a few are just as capable of human speech as yourself, though those ones are a minority by comparison. So, I heard from Kureha you intend to become a Doctor."

Chopper nodded determinedly. "Yes, I intend to make a medicine capable of curing any illness."

Her smile seemed to turn to a smirk. "Well, that's another ambitious dream. I wonder….."

The woman looked over Chopper for a almost a full moment of silence as the reindeer felt like squirming under her gaze. He glanced at Doctorine, only to find her glancing at her friend and Chopper with an expression that was both concerned and shocked.

Finally, the professor spoke. "Still, that dream means you're going to have a treat a wide variety of different patients, not just illness but also in life styles."

"I can handle it!"

"You'll also have to deal with all of the age ranges, from the elderly to young children."

That last bit gave Chopper some pause. "Chi…children?"

Mana looked at the young mammal with a smile. "Oh, I don't think dealing with children should be any problem for you. A small cute animal might actually be a lot less intimidating than some other doctors for kids."

That seemed to give the reindeer a flush of embarrassment, murmuring his words under his breath. "I'm not cute…."

"And that's not even counting babies."

The young reindeer looked down at his hooves. "I'm not so sure I could really handle babies. I mean, they'll probably cry and scream as soon as they see me…."

Mana smiled knowingly and finally stood up. "You'd be surprised. Practice makes perfect after all. And that makes my decision."

Chopper was utterly confused, but Kureha looked at her with concern. "What? Wait, are you saying…."

"Unfortunately, none of the ones I have with me now would really suit Chopper, but this way not only do we get some experience in, it also gives me the perfect excuse to go back to Avalon Isle to send you the egg. I've been away longer than I planned and I don't like the Government trying their luck against Ruri for too long. It should be here in about a month, give or take."

Kureha consider things before nodding. "Just remember to send all of the necessary stuff, you know I don't have your resources when it comes to treating Pokémon."

"I'll make sure to have it all wrapped up in a gift basket with instructions.

Poor Chopper was just even more confused. "Egg?"

* * *

True to the professor's word, the basket with all of the supplies any growing Pokémon could need arrived within little less than a month along with a strange container housing white egg with blue and red shapes on it and a small note on top for Chopper: Make sure upon hatching you're the first thing it sees.

Chopper, confused by the order but noted it nonetheless, had no idea what he was in for.

* * *

 **V.E.: Okay, this chapter is a little on the shorter side, but after last chapter I think I can be given some leeway. And see! Not every Straw Hat is getting a starter, though there is still one more member who will get one.**

 **Also, some backstory in this chapter that will come up again, so stay tuned for that.**

 **Togepi/Togetic/Togekiss: This is a little bit more out there, but I think it kind of fits. Though, I will admit part of the image of Chopper having to take care of a baby Togepi was what swayed me. This Pokémon however does level up using friendship, showers luck and blessings on kind souls (and Chopper is practically the epitome of kindness), and it's move sets wouldn't be bad for someone who is a doctor type. Not to mention the idea of chopper riding on a Togekiss was kind of adorable to me.**

 **Sorry, I did mean to have this chapter out last month.**

 **Next up is the last Straw Hat for a while.**

 **See you next time!**


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